BUREAU of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado lauded the interception of a woman who tried to slip past immigration using a falsified departure stamp.
Viado emphasized that the BI is intensifying efforts against fake immigration stamps that threaten national security. “Forgery tactics exploiting immigration controls will not be tolerated,” he said, aligning with President Marcos Jr.’s border security goals.
In coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation Airport International Airport Investigation Division (NAIA-IAID) the BI intercepted a 32-year-old woman on May 28 after she attempted to illegally board a Cebu Pacific flight to Thailand at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
When spotted by authorities, she falsely claimed to have already completed immigration departure clearance and said she was a returning Customer Service Representative (CSR) for an offshore gaming company in Thailand.
Immigration officers flagged her after noticing the suspicious departure stamp and referred her for further checks. Document forensic analysis by the BI confirmed the departure stamp on her passport was indeed counterfeit.
Further inquiry revealed she met an alleged contact inside NAIA, who she claimed took her passport and returned it with the fake stamp.
She was turned over to the inter-agency council against trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation. She may face charges under the Revised Penal Code for falsification (Article 172) and usurpation of authority (Article 177), as well as potential violations of Republic Act No. 11862, or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022.
Meanwhile, the BI also reported the interception of another Filipino that attempted to depart with a fake stamp in her passport.
The woman, 31, was intercepted last June 3 also at NAIA 3 after attempting to depart on board a Jetstar flight to Singapore.
She claimed that her main source of income is her TikTok content, which now funds her solo 4-day trip to Singapore. However, upon inspection of her passport, officers found a fake stamp impressed on it.
She was likewise turned over to the IACAT, and is expected to face the same cases for the falsification.
Viado stressed that no case of passport tampering will slip past the watchful eyes of immigration officers extensively trained to detect document fraud. “Our personnel remain vigilant and prepared to stop these crimes, protecting our borders from exploitation,” he added.
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