A 37-year-old woman was intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Tuesday after presenting a passport with a counterfeit departure stamp, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported.
The traveler, who identified herself as a tourist bound for the Netherlands, raised suspicions when BI officers noticed irregularities in her passport’s immigration clearance stamp. Upon verification by the BI’s forensic documents laboratory, the stamp was confirmed to be fake.
The woman admitted to seeking assistance from a fixer she encountered in the NAIA lobby. According to her statement, the fixer asked for her passport and instructed her to wait at the entrance for an escort. She claimed the fixer handed her back the passport after allegedly arranging the clearance but left her waiting for 45 minutes, with no one showing up.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado issued a warning against falling for such schemes. “These fixers will promise quick processing by circumventing laws,” he said. “If you want to work abroad, do so legally and do not be enticed by these offers.”
