Immigration uncovers new human trafficking scheme using fake BI stamps

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MANILA – Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) 3 have unraveled a new scheme by human traffickers after intercepting a departing Filipina caught carrying a fake Bureau of Immigration (BI) departure stamp.

According to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente the modus operandi was uncovered when the suspected trafficking victim, whose name was not divulged as the law forbids it, attempted to slip past the BI departure counter at the NAIA 3 terminal to avoid inspection by immigration officers.

“Afterwards, she brought out of her handbag a departure stamp and a stamp pad which she would use to stamp her passport and boarding pass upon reaching the boarding gate and before boarding her flight,” he said in a statement.

She was supposed to board a Cathay Pacific flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) when she was spotted by an immigration officer who referred her for secondary inspection to the BI’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU).

Morente said during an interview, the victim, who was disguised as a tourist, admitted that her purpose in going abroad was to work as a maid at the house of her niece’s Arab employer in the UAE.

She also said that she was instructed by her recruiters to make another attempt to leave the country provided she avoid inspection by immigration officers at the NAIA.

Before going to the airport, the victim added that she was briefed by her agent at a restaurant in Pasay City where she was given the fake departure stamp.

With this, he ordered the BI’s port operations division chief, to field additional BI intelligence agents the NAIA’s departure areas to ensure that no passenger could sneak past the BI counters undetected and evade immigration inspection.

On the other hand, Atty. Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, BI spokesperson noted that a TCEU report on the incident revealed that the victim was previously offloaded at the Clark International Airport for being a suspected “tourist worker” or an undocumented overseas worker disguised as tourist.

“Had she succeeded in evading immigration inspection, the airline personnel would have allowed her to board her flight upon seeing the fake stamps in her passport and boarding pass,” she added.

The BI official said the victim was turned over to the custody of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.