The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has placed on heightened alert all its units in different ports of entry in the country to ensure security during the All Saints’ Day holiday and in preparation for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit meetings, its spokesperson said Saturday.
BI acting spokesperson Grifton Medina said BI officers in all international airports and seaports nationwide have been instructed to be doubly strict and vigilant in screening travelers.
“Our officers were told to refer for secondary inspection of foreigners who have doubtful purposes in entering the country and those who have questionable travel documents,” Medina said in a statement.
“Departing Filipino tourists would also be thoroughly screened to ensure that they are not victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment (schemes),” Medina added.
Medina also said that upon instruction of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, no BI employee assigned at the ports could go on leave starting Oct. 29 unless they have valid reasons.
“Commissioner Morente has also alerted our personnel assigned to border crossing stations in Mindanao and Palawan to coordinate and team up with other agencies such as the navy and coast guard in policing our backdoors in the South,” he said.