The Bureau of Immigration鈥檚 counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has ordered its personnel to impose stricter vetting process for foreigners following a failed attempt to smuggle three Iranians into the country.
This development came after the BI Port Operations Division (POD) reported on Dec. 24 three Iranians carrying Belgian passports, who were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
READ: Immigration stops human smuggling attempt at Naia
The Iranians arrived at NAIA via Thai Airways Flight TG 620 from Bangkok. However, their passports were later found by BI personnel to be fraudulent.
BI POD chief Marc Red Mari帽as聽on Wednesday聽said the foreigners were 鈥渕ere victims of the syndicate that gave them their bogus Belgian passports.鈥�
鈥淎s a result of this incident, we have instructed our immigration officers to be doubly strict in examining the travel papers of arriving foreigners, particularly Middle Eastern nationals who present European passports,鈥� Mari帽as said in a statement. /jpv