Three Filipinas, who were suspected to be victims of mail-order bride scam, and their alleged Chinese husbands were intercepted in two incidents at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday, July 1.

“This is a clear case of mail-order bride wherein fixers seemingly assist marriages between Filipinas and foreign nationals,” said BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco in a statement.

Citing reports from the BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), Tansingco said a 29-year-old Filipina and her Chinese companion whom she introduced as her husband were intercepted last June 28 before they could board their flight to Shanghai, China.

He said the two other women, ages 25, and 24, were also intercepted separately on June 29 along with their respective Chinese companions who were also introduced as their husbands.

“These attempts have been intercepted at our Manila airports, hence they are now attempting other airports,” Tansingco said.  

“They should know that our alert is up on this modus in all international ports of entry and exit,” he pointed out.

The three women and their Chinese companions have been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.

Tansingco said the 29-year-old Filipina presented a marriage certificate to immigration officers who found “numerous inconsistencies in her documentation.”

“I-PROBES officers reported that when asked, the victim admitted that she did not know the particulars of the supposed wedding, and later admitted that she merely paid P17,500 via money transfer for the processing of her documents,” the BI said.

It said that the woman even presented photographs of their wedding.

“The victims, aged 25 and 24, attempted to travel with their supposed Chinese spouses under the same circumstances and both presented questionable PSA (Philippine Statistics Authority) marriage certificates,” it also said.