As President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos Jr. prepares to deliver his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) today, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) has issued a stern reminder to foreigners: engaging in political activities in the Philippines is strictly prohibited by law.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco emphasized the prohibition, citing past incidents where foreign nationals were deported or excluded from the Philippines for participating in protests and mass actions.
“We are issuing this reminder to prevent any recurrence of incidents where we had to deport foreign protesters,” said Tansingco.
“Being a visitor in the Philippines does not confer rights and privileges akin to those of a Filipino citizen. Joining political demonstrations is a blatant display of disrespect towards the country’s authorities and constitutes meddling in our internal affairs as a sovereign nation.”
It can be recalled that in 2013, Dutch citizen Thomas van Beersum was deported after joining a protest and taunting a crying policeman, while Canadian student Kim Chatillon-Miller was deported for participating in an anti-SONA demonstration. In 2018, Zimbabwean Tawanda Chandiwana, American Adam Thomas Shaw, and Malawian Miracle Osman were ordered to leave the country for their involvement in leftist activities.
“Follow our laws,” urged Tansingco. “It is straightforward and clear. Foreign visitors are prohibited from participating in political demonstrations. We welcome your stay in the Philippines, but we expect you to respect our government and our laws,” he added.
A 2015 operations order from the BI explicitly forbids foreigners from engaging in political activities while in the country. Tansingco clarified that while the BI welcomes foreign visitors, it is also duty-bound to uphold the law by deporting foreign protesters. The order prohibits aliens from “joining, supporting, contributing, or involving themselves in whatever manner in any rally, assembly, or gathering.”
“Foreigners have no business joining such activities as it is a clear violation of their conditions of stay,” Tansingco reiterated.
He further warned that foreign nationals involved in acts aimed at overthrowing the government, unlawful destruction of property, or violating the conditions of their stay would face deportation. “If found guilty, we will blacklist these foreigners, effectively barring them from re-entering the Philippines,” Tansingco cautioned.
