Authorities apprehended 15 undocumented foreigners in Tawi-Tawi, with suspicions that they entered the country to work illegally, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco mentioned that eight Chinese and seven Malaysian nationals were intercepted by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), the Philippine Navy, and the Philippine Army during a maritime patrol at Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi on Sunday.
It is reported that the group entered Philippine territory by means of two speedboats.
“Early morning today, we received information from the patrolling agencies that those arrested have been transported to Bongao for processing,” BI Commissioner Tansingco said in a press release on Monday.
The BI’s centralized database initially confirmed that the intercepted individuals were illegal entrants, as no records of their entry were found.
The group of undocumented aliens will face deportation charges and will be added to the BI blacklist, preventing their re-entry into the country.
