Officers of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted a Filipina trafficking victim after presenting a fake Belgian passport she bought from Tiktok.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco shared that the interception occurred last September 5 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
The Filipina victim, identified as Josephine in her Belgian passport, attempted to depart for Ercan, Cyprus via a Kuwait Airlines flight.
Josephine initially presented her Belgian passport to immigration authorities, claiming that she was transiting from Kuwait to Izmar, Turkey.
However, immigration officers noted numerous inconsistencies on her passport and supposed arrival stamps. The matter was immediately escalated to the Duty Immigration Supervisor, who in turn submitted the documents for forensic screening.
The BI’s Forensic Documents laboratory confirmed that Josephine’s passport, residence card, and immigration stamps were all counterfeit.
She was about to be arrested for being an illegal alien after insisting that she is Belgian, when she admitted that she has a Philippine passport, and used to be an overseas Filipino worker in Israel. She was deported from Israel earlier this year for working without a valid visa, but came across a Tiktok video offering EU passports to travel visa-free to multiple countries.
Filipina intercepted after buying fake passport on TikTok
She allegedly paid a total of PhP 700,000 for her fake documents. She was promised work in Greece as a caregiver, with an offer of PhP 180,000 salary per month.
Josephine was immediately turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance and filing of appropriate charges against her recruiter.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) celebrates its 83rd anniversary on Friday.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco shared that they have prepared a small celebration to celebrate the agency’s anniversary and other achievements.
Tansingco, who is also set to celebrate his first year in office later this month, said that he is grateful that the Bureau has come a long way in terms of organizational and system improvements.
“This could not have been done without the support and efforts of our personnel, who tirelessly perform their duties,” said Tansingco.
He shared that he understood the plight of BI employees, who continuously face criticism despite their efforts.
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