Foreigners warned: Don’t engage in political activities

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday issued a stern warning to foreigners staying in the country: Refrain from joining or engaging in political activities in the country.

BI commissioner Norman Tansingco issued the statement ahead of the third State of the Nation Address (SoNA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as he cited instances in the past in which foreign nationals were either deported or barred from the country for taking part in demonstrations and large-scale actions.

The BI chief stressed that the purpose of this reminder is to prevent similar occurrences from happening in the future that would require them to deport international protestors.

“Foreign visitors do not have the same rights and privileges as citizens of the Philippines when they are in the country. Participating in political protests is tantamount to interfering with our domestic matters as a sovereign nation and is a flagrant disrespect to the country’s authority,” Tansingco said.

“Remember that in 2013, a Canadian student, Kim Chatillon-Miller, was deported for participating in an anti-SoNA rally, and Dutch national Thomas Van Beersum was also deported for participating in a protest and harassing a weeping police officer,” he added.

He also cited that in 2018, American Adam Thomas Shaw, Malawian Miracle Osman, and Zimbabwean Tawanda Chandiwana were asked to leave the country due to their communist activities.