THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted two women for fake departure stamps.
It was learned that 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.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that when spotted by authorities, the woman 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.
Sandoval also said that immigration officers flagged the woman 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.
Sandoval said the BI also intercepted 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.
Both women have been turned over to the IACAT and will face the same cases for falsification.
