Immigration actually strict at screening Chinese arrivals, official says
MANILA, Philippines — Immigration officials screen Chinese nationals entering the Philippines, checking not just their documents but also for signs that they may be victims of human trafficking, a bureau official said Tuesday.
Speaking at a Senate hearing into prostituion that caters to Chinese nationals associated with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator industry, Port Operations Division chief Grifton Medina said Immigration officers subject arriving Chinese to evaluations and interviews.
"We check a Chinese national on whether they might be a victim of human trafficking or may be a prostitute... if they do not seem to have the means to stay in the Philippines, or don't have a place to stay or a return ticket or itinerary, they will be excluded," he said in Filipino.
Exclusion means not being allowed to enter the country.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros—chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality—called for the hearing through Senate Resolution No. 131 to "probe into the existence of prostitution rings in the country and to examine the circumstances that push women from vulnerable sectors of society to work under exploitative conditions."
Among the aspects that the hearing looked into was how the Chinese victims of human trafficking — authorities have also rescued Vietnamese, Malaysian and Filipina women in raids on "sex dens" in condominiums in Metro Manila — were brought into the Philippines.
Hontiveros asked about the Visa Upon Arrival program, where Chinese nationals are allowed to get visas through Department of Tourism-accredited travel agencies in China, that tour groups use.
Medina said VUA arrivals account for around just 5% of around 1.8 million Chinese visitors yearly.
Police Maj. Gideon Ines of the Makati police said he could not say whether the women rescued in raids were in the Philippines on VUAs since their passports and visas were with their "maintainers." He assured Sen. Hontiveros, though, that the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies coordinate with the BI on operations against human trafficking.
'We are very strict'
"We are very strict in terms of examining and evaluating Chinese [arrivals]. Out of the 7,700 exclusions, the most number of exclusions, almost 2,000 accounts for Chinese," Medina said, adding Chinese Embassy officials had "raised concerns" that Immigration officers may be too strict.
"In fact, the most interviews and referrals for secondary inspection... more Chinese are referred and later excluded even if they have complete documents," he also said.
"Our numbers will bear us out that our Immigration officers are very strict," he said.
The BI on Tuesday morning announced it was suspending its VUA facility for Chinese arrivals in response to the threat posed by the novel coronavirus, which was first reported in Wuhan, China.— Jonathan de Santos
- Latest
- Trending
