he number of foreigners who visited the Philippines in 2009 still went up compared with the previous year despite the global economic recession, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
In a report to Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, BI Immigration Regulation chief Edgardo Mendoza said that a total of 5,965,078 foreigners arrived in the country from January to December 2009, slightly higher than the 5,927,128 who came in 2008.
Mendoza said tourists totaling more than two million accounted for the bulk of the foreign visitors, and most of them were 'Balikbayans' who numbered nearly 700,000.
The others were holders of the various types of immigrant and non-immigrant visas that were issued to them either by the BI or the Philippine consulates abroad.
Upon receiving the report, Libanan said he was pleased that foreigners did not shy away from the country even in the face of the global financial slowdown.
He said the BI will continue to do its part in helping the government attract more foreign visitors by liberalizing its immigration rules, policies and procedures to make it easier for foreigners to stay or do business in the Philippines.
The BI chief added that he hopes Congress will finally pass a new immigration law for the country that will replace the 1940 Immigration Act which he described as “antiquated and no longer attuned to present realities.â€
Among the programs that the BI has launched to lure foreign businessmen is the Special Visa for Employment Generation (SVEG) or job visa.
The said visa entitles the holder to stay indefinitely in the Philippines provided that he maintains investment in a business enterprise that employs 10 or more Filipino workers.
Statistics show that Americans, numbering 679,312, topped the list of the foreigners who arrived last year, followed by 523,145 Koreans, 331,279 Japanese, 225,577 Chinese, 140,098 Australians, and 126,001 Britons. (PNA)
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