16 Vietnamese nationals who were allegedly trying to enter the nation to operate illegal online gaming hubs were detained by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers.

According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, there is a pattern where foreign nationals try to enter the country as tourists but end up working here illegally.

Tansingco said that even if they have all the required papers, further inspection reveals that those foreigners who are posing as regular tourists have other reasons for visiting the Philippines.

He added that after arriving at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 via a Cebu Pacific flight from Ho Chi Minh City, the group, which consisted of 12 guys and 4 females, was intercepted on 25 April.

The foreigners who were intercepted did not even know where they were going to visit in the Philippines, according to primary inspectors and personnel of the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES).

Five Chinese nationals who were allegedly coming to work as laborers were also denied entry by the I-PROBES on the same day.

Those five Chinese nationals boarded a Xiamen Air flight from Quanzhou, China, and arrived at NAIA Terminal 1.

Officers discovered that they could not afford to sustain their own stay in the country; thus, they were excluded since they were likely to become a public charge. 

The BI also barred the entry of three female Vietnamese and one Chinese man for suspicious purposes of travel in the country on 26 April.

The four individuals arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 via a Cebu-Pacific flight from Hanoi.

All four were found to have doubtful purposes for staying, having given numerous inconsistent details about their trip to the country.

Meanwhile, Tansingco said that he had issued an order alerting BI personnel manning the ports after the bureau received intelligence reports that human smuggling syndicates are again attempting to shuttle the entry of illegal aliens.

Tansingco gave immigration officers stricter screening guidelines in March to prevent the trafficking syndicates.

"Since last month, I have ordered our immigration officers deployed to international airports to be on the lookout for certain foreign nationals who would attempt to enter the country disguised as tourists but whose real intent is to work here illegally in violation of the conditions of their admission and stay as temporary visitors," Tansingco said.

The BI chief added that he had also instructed Acting Chief Vincent Bryan Allas of the BI Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BI-BCIU) to play an active role in stopping human trafficking.