Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco has expressed concern over the increasing number of foreigners posing as Filipinos.
Early this month, a Hong Kong-Canadian national was caught at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for misrepresenting himself as a Filipino.
The BI’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) arrested separately two more foriegners last week at the same airport trying to depart for Vietnam.
They were identified as 35-year-old woman Nong Thi Luyen and Hailan Zhang, 36.
Nong, who presented a Philippine passport bearing a Philippine name, raised the suspicion of immigration officers when she was unable to answer basic details about her identity.
She later admitted during questioning that she is a Vietnamese citizen and that she arrived in the country almost two decades ago.
Tansingco said Nong misrepresented herself to evade payment of penalties for overstaying.
Investigation further bared that the Philippine passport presented by the passenger belonged to someone else.
]Hailan, on the other hand, presented a Philippine passport and carried identification cards and permits, claiming he was a businessman.
BI's forensic documents laboratory certified that his Philippine passport was genuine, but bore fake BI departure stamp.
The trio were charged for violation of the Philippine Immigration Act, and will remain at the BI’s warden facility in Taguig City pending their deportation.