An American national was prevented from entering the country by agents of the immigration allegedly due to his act of rudeness and inputting false and profane information in the eTravel System.
In a statement, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the American national as Anthony Joseph Laurence, 34, who arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 via an Air Asia flight from Bangkok, Thailand last Tuesday.
“The passenger initially showed disdain towards the primary inspector after he was reminded to fill out the eTravel online form,” said Tansingco.
Laurence reportedly tossed his passport and his mobile phone angrily to the immigration officer upon returning.
“After verifying in our system, the officer discovered that the passenger keyed in a made-up address in the Philippines, did not include his full name, and inputted profane words in his entry,” he added.
The eTravel System was designed to replace the paper-based arrival and departure cards to streamline and enhance immigration processes at international ports, and should be filled out at least 72 hours prior to arrival.
Tansingco further expressed his dismay towards the incident, issuing a stern warning to uphold the integrity of the eTravel.
“Such behavior is not only disrespectful but also undermines the efficiency of the system,” the BI Chief said. “Our agency is committed to ensuring a seamless experience to the traveling public. We expect all individuals to conduct themselves with respect and adhere to the established procedures. Any violation of these procedures will be dealt with firmly,” he said.
The BI Chief then explained that while immigration officers are advised to exercise maximum tolerance, the foreign national has “overstepped his boundaries.”
The American was returned to his port of origin, and was placed in the BI’s blacklist, permanently banning him from re-entering the country.
The BI said it has excluded and blacklisted this year a total of 44 arriving foreign nationals who showed disrespect to symbols of Philippine authority.
