BARRED ALIENS. Queenie Joy Jang, the Bureau of Immigration–Davao Region deputy head for operations (left), bares that at least 74 aliens of various nationalities were denied entry to the region as of August 2024. During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas episode in Davao City on Tuesday (Aug. 27, 2024), Jang said two of those foreigners were found to be wanted by The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). (PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr.)
DAVAO CITY – As of August this year, at least 74 aliens of various nationalities have been denied entry to the region, immigration officials here said Tuesday.
During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas episode, BI-11 deputy head for operations Queenie Joy Jang said that of those denied entry, two had a red notice from The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and were prevented from entering the country.
She said they also have deferred departures of around 445 individuals --eight of which are Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) turnovers as possible victims of trafficking in persons.
“We have implemented a successful interception of a Chinese national, subject of an ongoing Senate investigation relating to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO). Other interceptions of foreign nationals were due to overstaying and inclusion in the Bureau’s derogatory list,” Jang said.
BI, she said, is in the frontline of border security by strengthening the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section to keep communities safe from incoming threats and protect the most vulnerable to human trafficking.
“One milestone worth noting was the conferment of Tier 1 status for the Philippines by the US State Department’s 2016 Global Trafficking in Persons Report, as the first Southeast Asian country to achieve this status,” she added.
Meanwhile, Jang said BI-11 has observed a 344 percent increase in traveling international passengers since 2022, a huge indicator that this city continues to be a thriving business and tourism hub in Mindanao.
“As Mindanao’s main international gateway and the third-busiest airport in the Philippines in 2022, the Davao International Airport (DIA) has been serving millions of passengers yearly. The BI has been at the forefront in border control and ensuring smooth enforcement of immigration formalities for international travelers,” she said.
Jang also bared that Cebu Pacific Air will add more international flights to and from Hong Kong and Thailand to DIA’s international flights in October.
She added an organized S-queuing system was adopted by setting up stanchions in both arrival and departure areas. (PNA)
