Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers halted the departure of a female victim of a fake departure stamp scheme at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on July 25.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the victim, whose name was withheld in compliance with anti-trafficking laws, was supposed to board a Cathay Pacific flight to Netherlands at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 but failed to slip past their primary inspection.
“The female victim attempted to evade the primary inspection and pretended that she had already completed the immigration departure procedures. She claimed to be a tourist visiting her alleged boyfriend in Netherlands,” said Tansingco.
Tansingco said that the primary inspector referred the victim for additional checks after finding a suspicious departure stamp on her passport.
The victim admitted that she met her supposed contact at a fast food restaurant inside NAIA Terminal 3, who took the victim’s passport and boarding pass, then returned them with counterfeit stamps.
The female victim disclosed that the traffickers demanded a fee of Php 160,000.00 for the transaction before releasing her travel documents.
After forensic analysis under the BI’s forensic documents laboratory, they were able to confirm that the stamp presented was counterfeit.
“Since they couldn’t offer valid documents for overseas employment, these traffickers employed a risky strategy. However, our officers are always vigilant, ensuring that no passenger gets through the BI counters without being detected,” he bared.
Tansingco revealed that this is the second case of fake stamp, which they suspect was done by the same syndicate.
The victim was turned over to the custody of the Inter-Agency Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance in filing cases against their recruiters.
