Bureau of Immigration (BI) agents at the Ninoy Aquino International (NAIA) have intercepted a Chinese national who tried to leave the country using a fake Philippine passport.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said the Chinese introduced himself as Mark Anthony Cobeng, 33, when apprehended before he could leave for Maldives aboard a private jet.
Morente said Immigration officer Lourdes Mercado became suspicious as she noticed discrepancies in the biopage of the alien’s passport, which appeared to be counterfeit.
“Upon seeing irregularities in the travel document, the officer proceeded to interview the passenger. That was when they noticed that the passenger did not even know how to speak basic Filipino words,” Morente said.
The Immigration chief said the foreigner was in the company of another Chinese national who voluntarily deferred his flight.
Morente said Philippine passports contain some security features that Immigration agents were trained to examine.”
“Apart from our officers’ expertise in fraud detection, we also have a forensic documents laboratory that can analyze the authenticity of passports presented,” he added.
Cobeng was turned over to the BI’s Legal Division for deportation proceedings.