Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 intercepted two women suspected of being fake Filipinos on July 10. The women, identified only as ‘Dianne’ and ‘Myla,’ were attempting to board a Cathay Pacific flight to Beijing when officers became suspicious of their identities.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco revealed that the officers doubted the women’s nationality after noticing that neither could speak any Filipino language. ‘Dianne,’ a 61-year-old, presented a valid Philippine passport and a birth certificate. However, officers noted that her birth was registered only in 2002, when she was already 39 years old. She also provided inconsistent statements about her identity and could not recall the name of the school she attended in the Philippines.
‘Myla’ attempted to pass through a different immigration counter but was also flagged for further assessment due to inconsistencies. She presented a Philippine passport, a Philippine driver’s license, and a UMID ID. She claimed to have been homeschooled by her grandmother and could not remember details about her childhood or family. Myla later admitted to acquiring the documents through a contact she met online.
Commissioner Tansingco suspects that the two women are Chinese nationals. “This seems like another case of fraud, wherein foreign nationals are able to secure Philippine documents through illegal means,” he said.
The two women were arrested and are being held at the BI facility in Bicutan, Taguig, while they face immigration deportation charges.