Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the BI turned back 9,738 foreigners from the Philippines’ ports of entry last year in a bid to thwart the entry of undesirable or fugitive aliens.

“That we were able to stop these unwanted aliens from entering our borders is proof of our continued vigilance in the discharge of our mandate as gatekeepers of the country,” he said.

Last year’s figure is 45 per cent more compared to the foreigners turned away in 2015.

Morente said these were part of the agency’s intensified efforts to strengthen border security against undesirable aliens.

Of the 9,738 foreigners who were turned away, 2,034 were Chinese nationals, followed by 269 Indians, 179 Vietnamese, 163 Americans and 119 Indonesians.

Most of the excluded aliens were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while others were turned away at the international airports in Mactan, Clark, Kalibo, Iloilo and Davao.

Marc Red Mariñas, acting BI port operations division chief, said those barred entry included those in their blacklist of undesirables such as fugitives, suspected terrorists and convicted sex offenders.