The Bureau of Immigration will resume stamping on the passports of visiting Chinese nationals, which was stopped by the Philippine government to protest Beijing’s expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea.
The practice of stamping on Chinese passports was stopped by Immigration in 2012, at the height of the country’s territorial dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea, the bureau said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs will file a diplomatic protest against China once security officials confirm the firing of warning flares at a Philippine military aircraft patrolling the West Philippine Sea.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday vowed to file the protest once the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency confirms the incident.
“When NICA confirms, I file a protest,” Locsin said on his Twitter account.
He said he could trust only the Armed Forces of the Philippines to tell the truth because civilian sources “lie as they breathe.” With Rey E. Requejo
“I don't trust civilian sources because they lie as they breathe. When NICA confirms, I file a protest. We can trust only the Armed Forces to tell the truth," Locsin said.
Earlier, Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence Reuben Basiao said that from January to June 2019, six flare warnings against Philippine maritime patrols had been noticed.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente ordered Immigration officers in the different ports to affix their stamps next to the Philippine visa of a regular e-passport presented by a Chinese passenger.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier gave the go signal to stamp Philippine visas on such passports even if they were printed with a map showing Beijing’s nine-dash line.
Morente said the change in policy complies with Foreign Affairs’ recently-issued foreign service circular instructing its Philippine consular officers to affix the Philippine visa on the pages of Chinese passports where the nine-dash line map is drawn.
He said they support Foreign Affairs’ change in policy and have adjusted their own procedures to conform to it.
He said the previous practice of stamping on a separate sheet of paper had proven problematic as those sheets were easily lost or misplaced by holders.
“We support this policy update of the DFA,” said Morente.
“In the past, we expressed security concerns over the old practice because sheets of papers could easily be lost.” With Rey E. Requejo