MANILA, Philippines — The number of foreign fugitives arrested in the country decreased by 87 percent last year compared to 2019 amid the ongoing pandemic, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported yesterday.
Records from the BI’s Fugitive Search Unit showed that only 55 foreigners wanted for serious crimes in their country were arrested last year, which is 365 or 86.9 percent lower than the 420 foreigners arrested in 2019.
The BI said the 55 foreigners 26 South Koreans, 10 Japanese, nine Americans, six Chinese, a Briton, a Russian, a Czech and a Saudi national – were alleged to have committed sex crimes, investment scams, swindling and telecommunications fraud.
In a statement, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the quarantine restrictions set in the Philippines in 2020 resulted in conducting fewer operations against alien fugitives.