A male Canadian suspected to be a ‘fake Filipino’ was intercepted at the airport by Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that based on a report given to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco by Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) acting head Ann Camille Mina, the subject, aged 49, was referred by primary inspectors after attempting to depart for Taiwan via an Eva Air flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1. His name is being withheld in the meantime due to an ongoing investigation.
The foreign-looking suspect presented a Philippine passport, but raised the officer’s suspicion after he was found unable to speak Filipino or any Philippine dialect. He was likewise unable to answer basic questions about his identity.
Verification in the BI’s database revealed that the suspect had multiple travels in the country using a Canadian and a Hong Kong passport and is a holder of a permanent residence visa. Upon interview, he later admitted that it was his lawyer who processed his birth certificate for the application of his passport.
BI officers suspect that his passport and birth certificate were fraudulently-acquired.
The suspect was later turned over to the BI’s Legal Division for inquest and charging for violation of the Philippine Immigration Act, Sandoval said.
