A MAN claiming to be deaf-mute was intercepted by immigration officers today at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The man, identified as Sengaloun Phimpa, was stopped after arriving on board an Air Asia flight from Bangkok. Phimpa claimed to be deaf mute when he presented a suspicious passport to immigration personnel.
Upon inspection, immigration officer Cristine Niepes found numerous inconsistencies on the said document, prompting her to subject it for tertiary inspection with the Bureau’s Forensic Documents Laboratory.
A forensic inspection revealed that Phimpa presented a fraudulent passport, with a counterfeit immigration stamp and Thai visa. Also found in his possession were a Philippine Tax Identification Number ID, a Philippine postal ID, and other Thai documents.
“We have reason to suspect that this man is pretending to be deaf-mute to avoid having to speak Filipino,” said Tansingco.
Tansingco said that Phimpa’s case will undergo further investigation, and if proven to be a foreign national, he will be transferred to the BI’s Warden Facility inside Camp Bagong Diwa while he awaits the resolution of his deportation case.
Meanwhile, Tansingco lauded the alertness of officer Niepes in detecting the fraud. “Immigration officers are given the tough job of border control, and protecting the country from illegal aliens,” said Tansingco. “The alertness of our personnel deserves commendation,” he added.
