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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Fake religious pastor' arrested for attempt to traffic 3 Filipinos

'Fake religious pastor' arrested for attempt to traffic 3 Filipinos

Published Nov 3, 2025 04:54 pm
A “fake” religious pastor will be charged criminally for his attempt to traffic three Filipinos to Cambodia via Thailand last Nov. 1, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday, Nov. 3.
In a statement, Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said the “fake” pastor, who identified himself as “Pastor Falcon,” and his three Filipino companions, whose names were not disclosed, were intercepted at the Clark International Airport (CIA) before they could board their flight to Bangkok, Thailand.
“It is disappointing how traffickers use religious activities as cover ups for their crime,” Viado said.
He said: “This fake pastor deserves to face cases for human trafficking.”
The case of Pastor Falcon has been endorsed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and prosecution.
Citing a report from the BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), the bureau said the fake pastor and his companions gave conflicting statements about their purpose of travel and affiliation with each other.
“Eventually, they admitted that they were actually headed for Cambodia, where they have been recruited to work as call center agents and cook for a company there,” the BI said.
It also said the victims were offered salaries of up to P50,000 a month.
It added that the victims themselves admitted that they sought the assistance of the fake pastor who claimed that he was able to escort many workers out of the country.
“A quick check of the ‘fake’ pastor’s records confirmed that he previously traveled with at least one individual who left as a tourist but has not returned to date,” the BI said.
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