By Jun Ramirez
Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) intercepted two Chinese and two Hong Kong nationals for conspiring to transit to Canada with fraudulent travel documents.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
BI port operations chief Grifton Medina said the passengers were caught at the NAIA terminal 2 on Friday after they arrived aboard a Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight from Hong Kong.
According to BI-TCEU chief Ma. Timotea Barizo, two of the passengers, Hongkong nationals identified as Lam Mik Ho and Mak Hin Chun Adrian were transiting in Manila, and were supposed to board their connecting flight to Toronto, Canada.
The duo checked in with the airline's transfer desk upon landing, but airline representatives were surprised when another two, who were later identified as Chinese nationals Chen Kaihui and He Chaorong, presented Hong Kong passports bearing Lam and Mak's names.
"There were two sets of Lam and Maks who wanted to transit to Canada, both sets carrying the same documents," Barizo shared.
Upon forensic document examination, it was discovered that Chen and He presented fake Hong Kong passports, and merely assumed the identities. Chinese passports were later discovered in their possession.
The four were stopped by immigration from boarding their flight to Canada. Canadian authorities likewise cancelled the electronic travel authorization (ETA) issued to Lam and Mak due to misrepresentation.
Upon learning of the incident, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente ordered the inclusion of the four aliens in the immigration blacklist.
They were immediately sent back to Hong Kong and were barred from re-entering the Philippines.