MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday said its officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted two Chad nationals who attempted to enter the country by posing as Canadian citizens.
In a statement, the BI said the two passengers were identified as Adraman Issa Mariam and Halime Abba Souleymane, who are both from Chad in north-central Africa.
They arrived at the NAIA Terminal 3 last Sept. 25 aboard an Emirate flight from Dubai.
The BI said the couple presented counterfeit Canadian passports to immigration officers, who were immediately suspicious of the authenticity of the documents due to its discrepancies.
The passports were later determined to be fake after being sent to the Bureau of Immigration forensic documents laboratory.
“Apparently, they attempted to conceal their true nationality in the belief that they would be allowed entry into the country without being subjected to strict inspection by our officers. They are wrong to assume that such documents can pass as legitimate,” BI Port Operations chief Carlos Capulong said.
On learning of the use of fake passports, BI Commissioner ordered the inclusion of the two in the immigration blacklist to prevent them from reentering the country.
They were also excluded and booked on the first available flight to their port of origin, the BI said.
“I commend our officers at the NAIA for a job well done. Due to their vigilance, we were able to frustrate the intentions of these undesirable aliens to gain illegal entry into our country,” BI chief Norman Tansingco said
—ALYSSA JOY QUEVEDO (INQUIRER.net TRAINEE)
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