By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – A 21-year-old woman suspected to be a victim of a mail-order bride scheme was intercepted by immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City.
In a news release Wednesday, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said officers from the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) intercepted the passenger at the NAIA Terminal 3, before she could board a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Guangzhou, China last March 10.
During the interview, the passenger claimed she was traveling to China to pursue language studies and said she was enrolled at a public higher vocational engineering college in Guangdong province.
However, officers noted numerous inconsistencies between her statements and the documents she presented.
The victim later admitted that no actual enrollment had taken place and that she was bound for a marriage arranged by an agent with an unidentified individual. She also admitted that she would receive PHP50,000 after the marriage.
“This attempt exposes how traffickers use now fraudulent study programs abroad as a cover for their illegal activities,” Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said in a statement.
“Our officers at all ports of entry and exit remain vigilant against any schemes that place Filipinos at risk of exploitation.”
The woman was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation and the filing of appropriate cases. (PNA)
