BI: Foreigners illegally acquiring PH docs a ‘national security concern’

INQUIRER file photo / ALEXIS CORPUZ

MANILA, Philippines — The proliferation of aliens unlawfully obtaining Philippine passports and documents is a national security concern, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco reiterated on Tuesday.

As shared by the bureau during a public hearing of the Committee on Finance on Monday, Tansingco said that there are at least 10 recent cases wherein authentic Philippine passports were illegally used by aliens.

Aside from passports, the BI said documents like birth certificates, driver’s licenses, and postal identification cards (ID) are also being illegitimately acquired by foreigners.

The BI further recalled a few instances when aliens they have arrested possessed documents that were supposedly exclusively for Filipinos.

BI shared that in April, a certain Danny Wong presented records claiming he was of Chinese-Korean-Filipino lineage. However, it was later discovered that he is a Korean national.

This October, overstaying Pakistanis Faizan Muhammad and Ajmal Ali, who are allegedly linked to a local terrorist group, presented identification cards indicating they are Filipinos despite being aliens.

During their arrest in Mindanao, Muhammad presented a Philippine national ID, while Ali presented a Philippine driver’s license.

According to Tansingco, such acquisitions are alarming as they challenge the verification of aliens’ identities.

READ: Man arrested in Naia for fake Philippine passport

“Their use of authentic documents makes it doubly difficult to detect and arrest,” he said in a press release from the bureau.

“But through our officers’ advanced skills, we were able to ascertain their actual identities,” he assured.

All aliens found in possession of these illegally acquired documents are charged for violation of the Philippine Immigration Act, the BI said.

The bureau noted that the aliens were also included in the agency’s derogatory list.

JPV