BUREAU of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado hailed the recent arrest of 3 individuals involved in falsifying departure stamps.
Viado stressed that safeguarding the country’s borders is vital to national security and aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s vision of secure border management. “We will not allow criminal syndicates to undermine our immigration system and put people at risk,” he said.
The trio, arrested last February 14 by members of the Manila International Airport Authority Airport Police Department (MIAA-APD), were subject of entrapment operations after victimizing Filipino trafficking victims.
The syndicate allegedly charged as much as PhP 120,000 to its victims by impressing a fake immigration departure stamp to facilitate their illegal departure from the country, allowing them to work as tourists abroad.
Verification by the BI’s forensic documents laboratory confirmed that the stamps used for two female victims on January 1 and 21 were indeed counterfeit.
Viado expressed gratitude to the MIAA-APD for their swift action, stating, “This successful operation is a testament to the importance of collaboration in law enforcement. We will continue to pursue those who exploit our citizens and undermine immigration procedures.”
