IMMIGRATION officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) rescued a 21-year-old woman suspected of being a victim of a mail-order bride scheme.
In a report submitted Thursday to Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, officers from the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-Probes) said the passenger was intercepted at NAIA Terminal 3 as she was preparing to board a Cebu Pacific flight to Guangzhou, China.
The passenger initially claimed she was traveling to Guangdong province for language studies, citing enrollment at a public higher vocational engineering college. However, I-Probes officers found significant inconsistencies between her statements and the documents presented.
The woman eventually admitted her enrollment was fraudulent and she was traveling for an arranged marriage set up by an agent with an unidentified individual, for which she was promised P50,000.
“This attempt exposes how traffickers now use fraudulent study programs abroad as a cover for their illegal activities,” Viado said. "Our officers at all ports of entry and exit remain vigilant against any schemes that place Filipinos at risk of exploitation." Viado said the operation was part of the government’s strengthened measures against human trafficking, initiated under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to tighten safeguards for vulnerable Filipino travelers.
He said the racket has already victimized many Filipinas who were induced into the scheme by promises of large sums of money that are not fulfilled when they arrive at their foreign destinations.
“This is very concerning, since they are able to present authentic documents despite their sham marriages,” Viado said.
Viado said the Bureau of Immigration reported the incident to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) for the filing of appropriate cases against the traffickers. The woman has been turned over to Iacat for further investigation.
