An American tourist has been banned from entering the Philippines after he wrote “profane” words on his digital immigration form on 7 November, the local Inquirer reported, citing the Bureau of Immigration.
Anthony Joseph Laurence, the tourist, arrived at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport and wrote false information on his electronic travel document, the report said.
“Upon verification in our system, the officer discovered that the passenger entered a fictitious address in the Philippines, did not provide his full name and entered profane words in his entry,” Norman Tansingco, commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration, told the Inquirer.
Laurence, 34, travelled to Manila from Bangkok, Thailand, the Philippine News Agency reported, citing the Bureau of Investigation.
When Laurence arrived at the NAIA, an immigration officer reminded him to fill out his e-travel form, Tansingco said. Laurence then threw his passport and phone at the officer, Tangsico added.
Speaking to Business Insider by phone, Laurence denied throwing his passport and phone. “I gave him my passport. I didn’t throw it at him, that was a lie. And then I turned my phone around so he could see the QR code.”
Laurence told BI he is an investor and has lived in Cebu, a city 350 miles southeast of Manila, for two years. He said he owns property in Cebu and has travelled in and out of the Philippines six or seven times in the past two years. BI was unable to independently verify his occupation, property ownership or travel history.
“I put an expletive in the form that wasn’t directed at anyone,” Laurence said. He declined to share what he wrote on the form with BI.
“I made a mistake in not filling out the form correctly, but I don’t think that mistake warrants a permanent ban, a permanent blacklisting,” he said.
“We expect all individuals to behave respectfully and follow the procedures in place. Any violation of these procedures will be dealt with firmly,” Tansingco said.
The Philippines requires all travellers to fill out an e-travel card at least 72 hours before arrival and departure, according to the government’s official website.
Some 44 tourists have been banned from entering the Philippines so far this year for abusing immigration officials, the Inquirer reported, citing the Bureau of Immigration. More than eight million tourists visited the country in 2019. In the same year, 180 foreigners – including 10 US citizens – were banned from entering the country after misbehaving with airport officials.
The Bureau of Immigration did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
