A WARNING was issued to prospective overseas jobseekers by the Bureau of Immigration (BI), after a 47-year-old woman who attempted to depart using a dubious Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 last July 19, prior to boarding Philippine Airlines flight bound for Riyadh.
Citing a report from the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) headed by Mary Jane Hizon, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the passenger was intercepted in possession of fraudulent overseas employment documents, after airport staff alerted them of the woman’s suspicious movements.
“Initial checks showed that her name did not appear in the joint system of BI and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). A secondary inspection, conducted in coordination with DMW personnel, confirmed that the OEC presented was issued to a different person,” Sandoval said.
She said the passenger later admitted to paying a fixer P2,010 through a cash bank transfer for ‘OEC assistance,’ adding that no valid OEC under her name was found in the system.
Sandoval said the BI continues to remind Filipinos seeking overseas work to avoid relying on online fixers or unauthorized third parties offering ‘assistance’ in exchange for payment.
The case has been referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for appropriate handling.
