(Eagle News) — Eighteen foreigners were denied entry into the Philippines in 2020 for disrespecting immigration officers and the Philippines.
The Bureau of Immigration said the figure represents a 10 percent decrease from the figure reported in 2019.
“While immigration officers are instructed to exercise maximum tolerance, some foreign nationals overstep their boundaries and arrive drunk, rowdy, and unruly when they present themselves for inspection. There were even some who would make derogatory statements about Filipinos or the country,” bureau immigration chief Jaime Morente said.
Records show that in 2019, 180 aliens were denied entry on the same grounds.
In 2018, 133 foreigners were also not allowed to enter.
Morente said that aside from being returned to their port of origin, discourteous aliens are blacklisted and banned from re-entering the country.
The bureau said this was based on a memorandum order issued in 2001.
In 2020, the bureau denied entry to a total of 3,044 foreign nationals for various immigration violations.
