The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported recently that a Czech tourist was denied entry by its officers at the Clark International Airport (CIA) in Pampanga for his rude behavior after protesting the bureau’s eTravel registration.

According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, 55-year-old Jaroslav Konsel was denied entry on 23 January after arriving at Clark International Airport via a Cebu Pacific Air flight from Hong Kong.

Tansingco said that Konsel was excluded after the latter uttered expletives against the BI officers, who asked him to first register in the eTravel online system before he could be admitted into the country.

The BI chief added that the registration in the eTravel system is mandatory for all international passengers, as it is an electronic travel declaration system that receives and stores information and data about all passengers who enter and exit the country.

It replaced the arrival and departure cards that international travelers used to fill out, as it harmonizes all passenger data into one digital platform for all government agencies collecting arriving data, thus providing a quick and seamless travel experience for the public. The eTravel can be filled out 72 hours prior to one's arrival in the Philippines.

Tansingco added that Konsel’s act of defiantly refusing to comply with the eTravel requirement amounts to disrespecting the country’s laws and its persons of authority.

“Reports that he taunted and mocked the immigration officers who were politely explaining to him the eTravel requirement are enough ground for him to be excluded and banned from entering the country,” he stressed.

Airline and immigration employees were said to have attempted to assist him in filling out the form, which he angrily rejected.

An order placing the Kornel on the BI blacklist of undesirable aliens was already issued by Tansingco.

BI-CIA officials also reported that Konsel immediately became rude and started mouthing foul language when he was told by the BI officer to first fill out the e-travel form online.

He allegedly continued to behave in an outraged manner even as he was filling out the eTravel form and even refused to listen to or follow instructions from people who were assisting him at the eTravel counter.

When he returned to the BI counter, Kornel continued to complain and furiously slammed the front desk of the BI officer, thus causing further commotion in the airport.