THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday ordered the heightened nationwide personal screening of all incoming and departing airline passengers following a report that some suspected foreign terrorist are on the way to join the Maute Group that is still battling government forces in Marawi City.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime H. Morente, said he ordered immigration personnel at the airports to “double screen” all passengers coming from countries with known jihadist activities who might enter the country to join local bandits in Mindanao.
Morente also ordered the Port Operation Division (POD) chief, Marc Red Mariñas, to assign agents who are experts in profiling, agents who are experts on border control and those from the intelligence unit to be on the lookout for the possible entry of foreign terrorist.
Morente said, “It is is not an easy task, but we have to do it.”
The National Police and the military recently sought stricter implementation of immigration rules following reports that some terrorists have entered the country through the airports.
Brig. Gen. Restituto F. Padilla, Armed Forces spokesman, said in a news conference that it is important to strengthen immigration procedures because of reports that some terrorists have obtained Philippine-stamped passports and flew into the country.
“Kailangang patibayin o palakasin natin ang ating procedures sa immigration. Ito ang unang line of defense natin eh,” Padilla said.
In May immigration counters at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) terminals experienced long lines of passengers because there were only a few immigration officers available to process documents.
Immigration supervisors and agents from other airport units were ordered to come to the Naia and function as immigration officers.
Padilla added that the Human Security Act, or the Republic Act (RA) 9372, should also be reviewed.
“Kaya nga noong nakaraang linggo iminungkahi natin na kinakailangan siguro tignan nang mabuti ang Human Security Act para mas maging matibay. Ang mga puwedeng gawin para harangin ang pagpasok ng ganitong klaseng indibidwal [Last week we suggested that we should review the Human Security Act to strengthen the screening of these unwanted individuals],” he said.
Passed into law in 2007, RA 9372 deals with terrorism and is meant to “protect life, liberty and property from acts of terrorism, to condemn terrorism as inimical and dangerous to the national security of the country and to the welfare of the people, and to make terrorism a crime against the Filipino people, against humanity and against the law of nations”.
A few days after President Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao, the government said foreign terrorists were killed in a clash between government troops and Islamic State-inspired terror groups.
Gen. Eduardo M. Año, Armed Forces chief of staff, confirmed that three Malaysians, an Indonesian and possibly Arab extremists have been killed in Marawi City as the military made advances in containing the siege in the city. Morente also said all incoming passengers who have derogatory records with the bureau will be automatically deported.
It was reported that some foreigners who helped the Maute Group in Mindanao came from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Chechnya and Morocco.