A departing Malaysian traveler who had entered the country illegally was arrested by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) officer at the international seaport in Zamboanga City.

BI Commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado identified the Malaysian as Hii Kien Tong, a 32-year-old who was intercepted at the Zamboanga International Seaport last 16 October after he attempted to board the M/V Antonio 1 vessel bound for Sandakan, Malaysia.

Atty. Viado said that Hii was not allowed to leave the country after the immigration officer noticed his name was in the BI’s database of blacklisted aliens.

A subsequent investigation showed that Hii was previously prohibited from entering Ninoy Aquino International Airport last 9 December 2023, because he was a blacklisted alien.

As a result of working unlawfully in an online gaming hub with a canceled license to operate, Hii was included on the BI blacklist on 27 December 2022.

The BI chief added that the Bureau also found out that the passenger was an illegal entrant after BI officers discovered that he has no immigration arrival stamp on his passport.

Atty. Viado further stated that they suspect that despite his being barred from entering the country last year, he still managed to re-enter the country illegally.

He commended BI personnel assigned at the Zamboanga port for their vigilance in thwarting an attempt by an illegal alien to flee the country.