Bureau of Immigration (BI) agents have arrested two Chinese nationals who attempted to leave the country with spurious travel papers.
BI chief Joel Anthony Viado said the two passengers were intercepted at the departure area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 before they could board a Philippine Airlines flight to Bangkok, Thailand.
The suspects, identified as Wang Dingku, 31, and Su Zhengkun, 25, are now detained at the BI holding facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City while deportation proceedings were being conducted.
According to Viado, the two Chinese were denied departure and apprehended following discovery that they entered the country with counterfeit visas.
“We commend the immigration officers involved for their vigilance in detecting the fraudulent travel documents that these aliens used to circumvent our immigration laws and enter our country illegally,” the BI chief said.
The passengers presented themselves for departure formalities at the Immigration counter when the BI officers who processed them noticed irregularities in the visas impressed on their passports.
The visas were referred for examination to the BI’s forensic documents laboratory which later confirmed that the documents were bogus.
This prompted the BI supervisors on duty to arrest the passengers and endorse them to the bureau’s legal division for filing of deportation charges.
Ferdinand Tendenilla, BI border control and intelligence unit (BCIU) acting chief, said Wang and Su already underwent preliminary investigation by BI prosecutors at the bureau’s main office on Monday.
Charges of violating the Philippine Immigration Act would be filed against them before the BI board of commissioners which would issue the order for their summary deportation.
