The Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday clarified its role in the interception of Filipinos with arrest warrants at ports of entry and exit.

Commissioner Norman Tansingco said arresting Filipinos is not within the immigration's mandate, pointing out that BI officers cannot serve warrants of arrest against Filipinos.

Tansingco made this clarification in response to a query made by Senator Robin Padilla on 5 September during his privilege speech, citing the case of Mohammad Said, a 61-year-old man who allegedly attempted to depart the country for Malaysia on 10 August but was stopped by the BI.

The BI chief added that it is the local law enforcement agencies — the NBI and the PNP — who are authorized to conduct arrests.

He also clarified that they implement derogatory records as received from courts, Interpol, foreign governments and other competent authorities.

If encountered, those with criminal records are turned over to the NBI or the PNP, who in turn, affect the investigation and arrest.

Tansingco further clarified that Said was intercepted for being the subject of an Interpol red notice issued in 2017. The said record contained Said's full name, sex, date of birth, place of birth, and even his passport number.