MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) barred the entry of an Australian professor for the latter’s alleged participation in a rally in the country in November 2015.
Immigration spokeswoman Dana Krizia Sandoval said professor Gill Hale Boehringer was denied Philippine entry upon his arrival past midnight on Aug. 9 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 from Guangzhou, China.
Boehringer was the subject of an order issued last year, which prohibited his entry to the Philippines for violating a BI order that bans foreigners from engaging in political activities.
“He was included in the blacklist in the interest of public safety,” Sandoval said. “He was barred from entering the country upon receipt of a report and recommendation for blacklisting from government intelligence sources.”
Sandoval added that they receive information on blacklisted foreigners through various sources, including other government agencies and foreign counterparts “to ensure that no undesirable alien enter or remain in the country.”
“The rule is if a foreigner is found to possess grounds for undesirability when in the country, he is charged with deportation. But if the foreigner is outside the country, the process is summary, and he is immediately included in the BI’s blacklist,” she said.
Sandoval added, “Inclusion in the blacklist means that the subject is a threat to public order and safety, and blacklisting minimizes that risk. If he submits sufficient proof to reverse the blacklist, it may be lifted accordingly.”
Prior to Boehringer, the BI has ordered the deportation of Australian missionary Patricia Fox after she was documented participating in a rally in Davao City a few years ago./PN
