IMMIGRATION agents on Friday intercepted 177 Indonesians disguised as Filipinos who tried to leave the country to join the Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.”©”©
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the agents also stopped five Filipinos who were supposed to escort the aliens on their trip as they were about to board a special early-morning Philippine Airlines flight to Medina. “©”©
Morente said the Indonesians had genuine Philippine passports allegedly provided by their Filipino escorts who organized the pilgrimage.
He said the Indonesians allegedly paid $6,000 to $10,000 each for the trip. “©”©
Initial investigation showed that the Indonesians were given Philippine passports to enable them to join the Hajj pilgrimage using the quota reserved for Filipino pilgrims by the Saudi government. It appeared that no more Hajj slots had been available for the Indonesians.
The Indonesians claimed that they arrived individually as tourists in the past few weeks before their Filipino escorts facilitated their pilgrimage. “©”©
But Morente ordered charges filed against them for misrepresenting themselves as Filipinos.
