MANILA – Philippine immigration authorities have detained a Chinese woman for illegally entering the country, officials said Sunday.
Zhang Zimo, 23, was arrested on June 15 at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport as she attempted to board a flight to Guangzhou, China.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said Zhang’s passport lacked an arrival stamp, and a database check revealed no record of her entry into the Philippines.
“It is a blatant offense for any foreigner to enter the country without inspection and admission by immigration authorities,” Tansingco said in a statement.
Zhang is being held at a detention facility in Taguig City pending deportation proceedings. Authorities are investigating how she managed to enter the country without a visa or undergoing immigration checks.
In a separate incident, immigration officials at Clark International Airport north of Manila arrested a South Korean national on June 7. Kim Yongchil, 64, had been previously deported and blacklisted in 2016 for being an “undesirable alien” following complaints of illegal dismissal and anti-Filipino behavior.
Tansingco said Kim would remain in detention until his deportation could be arranged, adding that he is “perpetually barred from re-entering the country.”
The Philippine Bureau of Immigration has pledged to tighten border controls and crack down on illegal entries as part of a broader initiative to reform immigration procedures.
