Four Chinese nationals were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for attempting to enter the country with fake Paraguayan passports, the Bureau of Immigration said.
The BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit said the foreigners were held at the NAIA Terminal 3 when they arrived aboard an Emirates Airways flight from Dubai.
The four were identified as Chen Zhijian, Wang Wenjie, Wang Anding, and Wang Mingdi, all male and in their 30s.
Upon presentation of the four Chinese-looking aliens with Paraguay passports, immigration officers Delfin Almeda and Gerard Teaño became suspicious and noted several red flags.
They were referred to the BI TCEU for secondary inspection.
“Upon investigation, all four were unable to converse even in basic Spanish, which is the language used in Paraguay, which strengthened our doubt,” BI TCEU member Kate Martinez, who conducted the assessment of the passengers, said, adding “They likewise failed to show any other identification documents proving that they are citizens of that country.”
Examinations conducted by the BI’s forensic documents laboratory confirmed that said Paraguayan passports were all counterfeit.
The passengers later confessed their true nationality and surrendered the Chinese passports which were hidden in their luggage.
BI TCEU Chief Ma. Timotea Barizo reported that three of the aliens, who attempted to enter as tourists using the fake documents, were immediately issued exclusion orders and booked on the first available flight to their port of origin.
However, Chen Zhijian was found to have a valid Special Retiree’s Resident Visa, and was hence turned over to the BI’s Legal Division for the initiation of deportation proceedings.
“All four shall be included in the BI’s blacklist to prevent them from reentering the Philippines,” Barizo added.