
A Cameroon national was barred entry at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) after he passed himself as a French citizen by presenting a stolen French passport.
The BI’s Border Control and Enforcement Unit (BCIU) identified the passenger as 31-year-old Valentine Forkwa Mbanwei, who arrived at the MCIA last November 20 aboard a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore.
The BCIU reported that the African initially presented a French passport under a different name. However, his ruse did not work out as it registered an Interpol hit indicating that the French passport was reported stolen and lost by the owner.
The passenger later admitted his true identity and presented his Cameroon passport.
Mbanwei was immediately denied entry for misrepresentation, for not possessing an entry visa, and for being likely to become a public charge.
As a consequence of the fraud, Mbanwei’s name will be included in the BI’s blacklist, banning him from entering the Philippines indefinitely.