Officers of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted a female trafficking victim after she presented a document with a fake signature of a Department of Justice (DOJ) exec.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco shared that the subject, 30-years-old, presented herself for primary inspection at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 in an attempt to depart via a Philippine Airlines flight to Singapore.
The victim initially claimed to be a DOJ employee working as an administrative staff, and is set to travel to Singapore as a delegate for an official travel, together with Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty.
USec. Ty serves as the Undersecretary-in-Charge of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). He is currently in Thailand attending a forum on people smuggling, trafficking in persons, and related transnational crime.
The victim presented a travel authority purportedly signed by USec. Ty. However, officers noted inconsistencies in the signature which prompted them to verify with the DOJ.
It was later confirmed that the travel authority presented was fake, and that the victim was actually recruited to work in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an entertainer.
She allegedly paid 38,000 AED for her fake documents, which she will pay through salary deduction for two years. She admitted that her documents were just given to her in a fast food chain near the airport.
Trafficking victim intercepted after faking signature of IACAT officer – BI
“The fake documents presented in this case is ridiculous,” said Tansingco. “Faking the signature of the USec-in-Charge of IACAT to avoid scrutiny is the idea of these illegal recruiters and human traffickers who will not stop finding ways to evade inspection,” he added.
The victim was immediately turned over to the DOJ-IACAT, who vowed to pursue charges against the recruiters.
Meanwhile, Tansingco reiterated that the proliferation of illegally-acquired Philippine passports is a national security issue.
During the Public Hearing of the Committee on Finance presided by Senator Sonny Angara, Tansingco shared that there were at least 10 recent cases of authentic Philippine passports used by illegal aliens.
The hearing discussed the proposed 2024 National Expenditure Program of the Department of Justice and its attached agencies, which includes the BI.
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