BI arrests Taiwanese on ‘alert list’ for using fake PH passport

MANILA, Philippines —  A Taiwanese national included in the Bureau of Immigration (BI) “alert list” was arrested by the authorities after posing as a Filipino while attempting to leave the country.

BI Port Operations Division Chief Grifton Medina identified on Monday the foreign national as Su Ping Yen, 27.

Medina said that Su was offloaded last Sunday after Air Asia personnel doubted the authenticity of his Philippine passport.

According to Erwin Ortanez, BI Travel Control and Enforcement Unit chief, Air Asia then referred the passport to the Immigration’s Forensic Document Laboratory who confirmed that the passport was fake.

The Taiwanese allegedly acquired his fake Philippine passport with the help of a friend in exchange for P3,000, Ortanez said.

“After being denied by Air Asia, he again booked another flight to Taipei and attempted to leave using his Taiwanese passport,” Ortanez said in a statement.

“He was, however, caught as we were already on alert and were ready to intercept him,” he added,

Apart from presenting a fake passport, Su also brought with him a dubious birth certificate which states that her mother is a Filipina while his father is Chinese.

“He insisted that his mother is a Filipina who lives in Taiwan but our database show no record of his alleged mother having traveled out of the Philippines,” Ortañez said.

“His Philippine passport and birth certificate lists him as Alex Masangkay Su who was born in Pasig City.  But when Officer Sheena Escobar asked him about basic details about his identity, he could not even answer,” he added

Su is now detained at BI’s detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, pending his deportation. (Editor: Julie Espinosa)