Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport denied entry to seven Vietnamese nationals found to be misrepresenting the purpose of their travel.
Immigration Port Operations Division Chief Candy Tan said the seven were intercepted on separate occasions at the NAIA Terminal 2 arrival area after flying in from Saigon and Singapore.
“We intercepted the first batch of three passengers on February 9, and denied their entry to the country,” said Tan.
“However, we were surprised to find that another four arrived the following day.”
Tan said the group showed that they were endorsed by an IT and business solutions company in the Philippines. However, when asked how they were connected to that company, all seven gave conflicting answers and admitted they only met at the Vietnam International Airport.
“When asked, they had no knowledge of IT or the workings of their alleged company. They were unable to establish their purpose of travel, hence they were excluded and boarded on the next available flight back to their port of origin,” said Tan.
The seven were excluded under the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente reminded port personnel to strictly monitor arriving passengers despite the easing of travel restrictions in the country.