A man claiming to be deaf-mute was intercepted by immigration officers today at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The man, identified as Sengaloun Phimpa, was stopped after arriving on board an Air Asia flight from Bangkok. Phimpa claimed to be deaf mute when he presented a suspicious passport to immigration personnel.
Upon inspection, immigration officer Cristine Niepes found numerous inconsistencies on the said document, prompting her to subject it for tertiary inspection with the Bureau’s Forensic Documents Laboratory.
A forensic inspection revealed that Phimpa presented a fraudulent passport, with a counterfeit immigration stamp and Thai visa. Also found in his possession were a Philippine Tax Identification Number ID, a Philippine postal ID, and other Thai documents.
“We have reason to suspect that this man is pretending to be deaf-mute to avoid having to speak Filipino,” said Tansingco.
Tansingco said that Phimpa’s case will undergo further investigation, and if proven to be a foreign national, he will be transferred to the BI’s Warden Facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa while he awaits the resolution of his deportation case.
Meanwhile, Tansingco lauded the alertness of officer Niepes in detecting the fraud. “Immigration officers are given the tough job of border control, and protecting the country from illegal aliens,” said Tansingco. “The alertness of our personnel deserves commendation,” he added.
DOT launches Tourist Assistance Call Center
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco herself made the first call to the first-ever centralized and multi-platform Tourist Assistance Call Center launched on Monday (Oct. 2) at the Department of Tourism (DOT) Central Office in Makati City.
The newest tourism innovation of is in line with the Marcos administration’s thrust to revitalize the tourism industry as an engine for economic growth and fulfill one of the objectives of the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023 to 2028 to enhance the overall tourist experience in the Philippines.
According to the tourism chief, the Tourist Assistance Call Center shall serve as the hotline and one-stop shop for local and foreign tourists, made available to provide tourism- and travel-related information and extend assistance if any to untoward incidents that may occur during the tourist visit.
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