A CZECH tourist was denied entry by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Clark International Airport (CIA) in Pampanga for rude behavior after protesting his being required to register in the Bureau’s eTravel system.
In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said 55-year-old Jaroslav Konsel was denied entry last Jan. 23 after arriving aboard a Cebu Pacific flight from Hongkong.
Tansingco said Konsel was turned away after the latter uttered expletives against the BI officers who asked him to first register in the eTravel online system before he could be admitted into the country.
Registration in the eTravel system is mandatory for all international passengers as it is an electronic travel declaration system which receives and stores information and data about all passengers who enter and exit the country.
It replaced the arrival and departure cards that international travelers used to fill out as it harmonizes all data on passengers into one digital platform for all government agencies collecting arriving data, thus providing a quick and seamless travel experience for the public.
The eTravel can be filled out 72 hours prior to arrival to the Philippines.
According to Tansingco, Konsel’s act of defiantly refusing to comply with eTravel requirement amounts to disrespecting the country’s laws and its persons of authority.
“Reports that he taunted and mocked the immigration officers who were politely explaining to him the eTravel requirement is enough ground for him to be excluded and banned from entering the country,” the BI chief stressed.
Airline and immigration employees were said to have attempted to assist him in filling out the form, which he all angrily rejected.
An order placing the Kornel in the BI blacklist of undesirable aliens was already issued by Tansingco.
BI-CIA officials reported that Konsel immediately became rude and started mouthing foul language when he was told by the BI officer to first fill out the e-travel form online.
He allegedly continued to behave in an outraged manner even as he was filling out the eTravel form and even refused to listen or follow instructions from people who were assisting him in the eTravel counter.
When he returned to the BI counter, Kornel continued to complain and furiously slammed the front desk of the BI officer, thus causing further commotion in the airport.
