Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recently barred from leaving the country seven undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who attempted to depart in the guise of being tourists. BI Port Operations Acting Chief, Grifton Medina said the passengers were deferred to depart after being intercepted on separate occasions last week at NAIA Terminal 2 and 3.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Wednesday the hiring of 100 immigration officers to man the international airports and seaports nationwide. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente shared that the hiring is part of the agency’s drive to strengthen border control and improve its services to the traveling public. "We see the lack of manpower as one of the primary impediments in delivering a more efficient government service.

Through this hiring, we intend to provide faster and smoother processing in our ports," Morente said. He also disclosed that the Bureau of Immigration is continuously hiring to ensure that the upcoming new international airports are fully manned. Morente shared that the incoming officers, once hired, will undergo rigorous training under the agency's Center for Training and Research before deployment. "They will be housed at the the Philippine Immigration Academy in Clark, Pampanga where they will undergo a two-month training on immigration laws and procedures. After which, they will be assigned in different Bureau of Immigration offices as on-the-job trainees," he shared. Morente added that hired officers must pass examinations before being deployed. "We will only deploy immigration officers who will pass the immigration officers' course. Being an immigration officer is not easy both physically and mentally. That is also why we will only employ the best of the best," he said. It can be recalled that four months ago, the Bureau of Immigration deployed 67 newly-hired immigration officers to the country's ports and subports. "The 100 items are for Immigration Officer I positions with Salary Grade Level 11. You must be a graduate of a four year course, and have a Career Service Professional Second Level Eligibility from the Civil Service," announced Morente. According to the Bureau of Immigration, interested applicants may visit the website careers.immigration.gov.ph to lodge their application.

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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced the deployment of 67 newly-hired immigration officers to the country's international airports after graduating on Wednesday, October 2. According to Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, this is part of the agency's continuous efforts to improve its services to the travelling public. "The graduation of the officers is timed prior to the projected influx of passenger in the airport in the next few months for the upcoming South East Asian Games, and at the same time as the holiday rush begins," Morente said.

Morente said that the new recruits underwent the Border Control Officers Module (BCOM), a six-month long training designed to teach immigration laws, rules, and procedures. "The 67 graduates, which consist of 38 females and 29 males, were divided into two classes. They began training at the Philippine Immigration Academy in Clark Pampanga last April. After three months, they were assigned at the airports and the Bureau of Immigration's main office for another three months as on-the-job trainees," Morente said. Morente further shared that aside from the usual lectures, it is the first time that they have included Disaster and Emergency Preparedness Response seminar in the program. "This kind of training adheres with the changing times. We want our officers to be fully prepared in the field even during emergency situations," he said. The Bureau's Port Operations Division (POD) Chief Grifton Medina likewise disclosed that as part of their continuous effort to address the problem of congestion in our airports, all graduates have signed a lock-in contract with the POD stating that they will be deployed in our ports for a minimum of two years. "We want the concept of genuine public service to be inculcated in our front-liners. We need them to be committed mentally and physically to the job," Medina added.

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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) deported a Korean fugitive wanted by authorities in his country for operating an illegal gambling website.

According to his report to Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, Bureau of Immigration Port Operations Chief Grifton Medina identified the fugitive as 35-year-old Jung Hyeongwook, who left the country last Sept. 3 aboard a Philippine Airlines flight to Pusan. He further said Jung was deported a few days after he surrendered to the Korean embassy in Manila which earlier cancelled his passport. The passenger was reportedly issued a temporary travel document by the embassy to facilitate his departure and was later arrested upon his arrival in Korea. 

PASAY, Philippines—Two more suspected human trafficking victims were stopped from leaving by immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for falsifying their birthdates. Bureau of Immigration (BI) Port Operations Division Chief Grifton Medina said the two female passengers, who presented valid overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) documents, were intercepted last Wednesday at the NAIA terminal 1 by members of the Bureau’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU). According to reports, the duo attempted to depart via a Scoot Airways flight to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia allegedly to work as household service workers when they were flagged for secondary inspection by frontline immigration officers. Medina said the officers doubted the ages of the passengers as indicated in the passports due to inconsistencies in their answers and their demeanor.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) urged aspiring Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to avoid human traffickers and illegal recruiters who would prey on their vulnerabilities, after the agency uncovered the recurrence a modus operandi of a syndicate that houses and trains its victims at safe houses before deployment abroad. Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente issued the reminder after two women were recently barred from leaving the country for misrepresenting their age and narrating their experience with the syndicate that recruited them. The women had alleged that they were kept by their handlers in a safehouse in Paco, Manila for two months before they were booked for their flights.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) urged aspiring Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to avoid human traffickers and illegal recruiters who would prey on their vulnerabilities, after the agency uncovered the recurrence a modus operandi of a syndicate that houses and trains its victims at safe houses before deployment abroad. Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente issued the reminder after two women were recently barred from leaving the country for misrepresenting their age and narrating their experience with the syndicate that recruited them. The women had alleged that they were kept by their handlers in a safehouse in Paco, Manila for two months before they were booked for their flights.

Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente disclosed that 71-year-old Alfons Hermann Keittl was arrested last Thursday in Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental by operatives from the bureau’s fugitive search unit (FSU). Morente said Keittl’s deportation was sought by the German embassy in Manila which informed the Bureau of Immigration about an arrest warrant that a local court in the town of Landshut, Germany issued against the fugitive last July.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it barred more than 38,000 travelers from leaving the country last year due to its unrelenting campaign against human trafficking in the different international ports. Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente disclosed that the 38,522 persons whose departures were deferred last year is 16-percent more than the nearly 33,000 travelers who were stopped from leaving in 2018.

“The men and women manning our ports deserve to be commended for their vigilance. So long as there are people who are victimized by trafficking syndicates we will not relax our guard,” Morente said. “We are duty-bound to remove them from harm’s way.” The Bureau of Immigration chief specifically lauded personnel assigned to the bureau’s port operations division (POD) and travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) for their accomplishments. BI-POD chief Grifton Medina said most of the passengers were not allowed to board their flights for failure to comply with requirements for overseas bound passengers which are spelled out in guidelines promulgated by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). Medina said the said guidelines have been implemented in the past few years in order to combat human trafficking and illegal migration in the country’s ports of exit. According to BI-TCEU chief Ma. Timotea Barizo, about 85 percent or nearly 33,000 of the said passengers were stopped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) while the rest were stopped in the airports of Mactan, Clark, Iloilo, Kalibo, and Davao. Barizo said passengers were often intercepted for misrepresentation or for submitting fraudulent supporting and travel documents. She added that more than 400 passengers were turned over to the IACAT for investigation and filing of charges against their handlers and recruiters. It will be recalled that due to the government’s successful drive against trafficking, 

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PASAY CITY - Immigration authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have intercepted again two South Koreans who are wanted fugitives from justice in their country. In a report reaching Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime H. Morente that Koreans Hong Chan Woo, 24 years old, and Jun Juman, 36 years old, whose names are both in the Interpol’s wanted list, were intercepted on Aug. 19 and 20, respectively, at the departure area of the NAIA 3 terminal.

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PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan—The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced that it has deported 294 Chinese nationals in two chartered flights earlier today at the Puerto Princesa International Airport. Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, in a statement, announced the deportation of said aliens who were part of the 329 arrested in 8 different hotels and establishments last September 16 through an operation of Bureau of Immigration Intelligence agents with the assistance of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western Command (WESCOM).

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INTRAMUROS, Manila--the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has placed its men on heightened alert as it braces itself for the upcoming South East Asian Games (SEA Games) and the holiday rush. According to Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, he issued the directive following the expected surge of Filipino and foreign travelers in the next few weeks. "We are expecting up to 3% increase in arrivals and departures this holiday season. We are certain that there will be more tourists and balikbayans who will be flying in this Christmas," said Morente.

According to Bureau of Immigration Port Operations Chief Grifton Medina. —An Iranian fugitive wanted for an assault and battery case was intercepted by immigration officers upon her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Thursday morning. Bureau of Immigration (BI) Port Operations Division (POD) Chief Grifton Medina said 31-year-old Zare Bahari Bahareh was immediately excluded hours after she arrived at the NAIA terminal 3 aboard a Cebu Pacific flight from Dubai.

Medina said Zare Bahari, who was a respondent to an assault and battery case in Dagupan, was intercepted by Bureau of Immigration men upon seeing that her name has a hit in their derogatory database. According to Bureau of Immigration NAIA Terminal 3 Head Bradford Allen So, Zare Bahari was excluded as she is the subject of a red notice from Interpol. So likewise disclosed that during the implementation of Zare Bahari’s exclusion, another Iranian national they later identified as Minbashi Moeini Morteza had then approached the Immigration arrival area. "Morteza was unruly. He was able to enter restricted areas at the airport, collect the luggage of Bahari, and sneak into the immigration arrival area to personally fetch his compatriot, surprisingly without an airport pass," So said. He added that Morteza's presence in the arrival area was a brazen case of security breach that they had to immediately report to the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA). "Morteza and Zare Bahari were already causing a scene, and had to be forced apart by airport authorities, as Zare Bahari was screaming ‘Jesus kill you all Filipinos!’” So further shared. Morteza was reportedly then taken into custody by airport security personnel. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente then expressed his dismay towards the incident. “Foreign nationals should respect our laws when they are in our country. Improper behavior and derogatory remarks gave the officer further reason to deny Zare Bahari’s entry,” he stated. He likewise requested airport authorities to conduct an investigation on the illegal entry of Morteza in the airport premises. “This is a clear security breach, and should not be taken lightly. We are deeply concerned as to how this person was able to enter the airport without inspection,” he added.

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the alien as 71-year-old Katsumi Ohno, who was arrested last Sept. 30 along the service road in Roxas Blvd., Pasay City by members of the bureau’s fugitive search unit (FSU). Morente said the arresting agents were armed with a warrant of deportation which he signed pursuant to a deportation order that the Bureau of Immigration board of commissioners issued against the Japanese on June 20, 2019.

Ohno’s deportation was reportedly sought by the Japanese embassy last February when it informed the Bureau of Immigration about a standing arrest warrant for fraud that a Japanese court issued against him. “We also learned that his passport already expired in November last year, making him an undocumented alien,” Morente said. He added that Ohno has been included in the immigration blacklist to prevent him from returning to the Philippines. Investigation also revealed that Ohno has been hiding in the country for nine years or since April 10, 2011 when he arrived as a tourist via a flight from Hongkong. Ohno is currently detained at the Bureau of Immigration jail in Bicutan, Taguig City.

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Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) intercepted two Chinese and two Hongkong nationals for conspiring to transit to Canada with fraudulent travel documents. Bureau of Immigration port operations chief Grifton Medina said the four aliens were caught at the NAIA terminal 2 on Friday after they arrived aboard a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Hongkong.

Medina said the passengers’ ruse was foiled when airline personnel who doubted their documents referred them to the Bureau of Immigration’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) for questioning. According to Bureau of Immigration-TCEU chief Ma. Timotea Barizo, two of the passengers, Hongkong nationals identified as Lam Mik Ho and Mak Hin Chun Adrian were transiting in Manila, and were supposed to board their connecting flight to Toronto, Canada. The duo checked in with the airline's transfer desk upon landing, but airline representatives were surprised when another two, who were later identified as Chinese nationals Chen Kaihui and He Chaorong, presented Hong Kong passports bearing Lam and Mak's names. "There were two sets of Lam and Maks who wanted to transit to Canada, both sets carrying the same documents," Barizo shared. Upon forensic document examination, it was discovered that Chen and He presented fake Hong Kong passports, and merely assumed the identities. Chinese passports were later discovered in their possession. The four were stopped by immigration from boarding their flight to Canada. Canadian authorities likewise cancelled the electronic travel authorization (ETA) issued to Lam and Mak due to misrepresentation. Upon learning of the incident, Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente ordered the inclusion of the four aliens in the immigration blacklist. “These undesirable aliens should be banned from entering our country. They have no right to use the Philippines as a jump off point to enter other countries illegally. Let this serve as a warning. You will be caught,” Morente said. The four were immediately sent back to Hong Kong and were barred from re-entering the Philippines.

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This was according to Bureau of Immigration port operations division chief Grifton Medina. This was in relation to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have intercepted 16 undocumented overseas Filipino workers who attempted to leave the country by disguising themselves as tourists. The full story is below .

PASAY, Philippines--Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have intercepted 16 undocumented overseas Filipino workers who attempted to leave the country by disguising themselves as tourists. In a report to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said the passengers were intercepted in two batches at the NAIA 3 terminal last Aug. 7 as they were about to board their Cebu Pacific Airways flights to Taiwan and Hongkong. One batch consisted 12 of the passengers who were bound for Taipei while the other group of four passengers were bound for Hongkong. “They all confessed during questioning that they are not tourists and that they were hired to work abroad by illegal recruiters,” Medina said. Information obtained from BI-NAIA 3 travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) chief Anthony Lopez revealed that the 12 Taipei-bound and mostly women passengers admitted that their final destination is the United Arab Emirates where they were recruited to work by a travel agency based in Manila. On the other hand, the four Hongkong-bound women confessed that they were going to Hongkong to process their visas to China where they were allegedly promised jobs by a FilipinoChinese businessman. All 16 passengers were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation "These syndicates just won't stop," said Morente. "Many still attempt to leave in the guise of being tourists, some in fake group tours. We wish to warn our kababayan about this modus, do not fall for the sweet-talk of these illegal recruiters. They only want to profit at your expense," he warned. 

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MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Immigration agents announced the arrest of a Korean national wanted by authorities in Seoul for swindling two compatriots of more than 100 million won. Bureau of Immigration intelligence officer Bobby Raquepo, chief of the bureau’s fugitive search unit (FSU), identified the captured Korean as 49-year-old Kim Sang Wook, who was arrested on Tuesday in Malvar Street, Malate, Manila.

The FSU operatives were armed with a mission order from Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente who issued the same at the request of the Korean embassy in Manila. Raquepo said that a Korean court had issued an arrest warrant against Kim who is also the subject of a red notice from Interpol. He further disclosed that Kim was a teacher wanted for swindling his victims of 100 million won. Kim was reportedly found defrauding his victims six times by deceiving and promising his victims’ sons that they could be employed as teachers. Investigations revealed that Kim fled to Manila on February 2015 under a tourist visa and has not left the country since then. According to Raquepo, Kim will be deported, considering he is an undesirable alien for being a fugitive from justice. Morente then warned foreign fraudsters and fugitives staying in the country, “We are serious in our drive against undesirable aliens. We will hunt each one down, deport them, and bar them from re-entering the country,” he said. Kim is temporarily detained at the Bureau of Immigration Warden Facility (BIWF) pending deportation proceedings. Meanwhile, Morente lauded the improvements made at the BIWF. BIWF Chief Remiecar Caguiron detailed that the BIWF has undergone a total revamp under her administration. "Apart from improving the quality of our personnel through seminars on jail management and human rights, we have made numerous improvements in the facilities of the detention center," said Caguiron. "We renovated a lot of areas that were already old and dilapidated, and used the open spaces to create a multi-purpose hall," she shared. Caguiron clarified that the BIWF "is not a jail, but a detention center" where erring foreigners are temporarily held pending their deportation. The new facilities were made following calls to improve the conditions of the detention center. "The BIWF has a capacity of less than 200, hence it is quite a challenge especially since our intel has been conducting numerous arrests. The management actually is looking at the possibility of setting up another bigger detention center somewhere north of Luzon. This is part of our long term plans," she shared.

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