BI foils mail-order bride case at Naia

FILE PHOTO: Departing passengers line up at the immigration counters of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) prior to boarding their respective flights in this 2017 file photo. The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it intercepted a mail-order bride case at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on February 28, 2024. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it intercepted a mail-order bride case at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

The BI said in a statement Tuesday that it apprehended a 34-year-old male Chinese national allegedly escorting a 20-year-old woman at the airport on February 28. It said the two were bound for Shenzhen, China.

According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, the two “acted very suspiciously” when asked about their supposed marriage. He noted that the woman was unable to answer even basic details about their union.

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The Filipina presented a PSA-issued certificate of marriage, stating they were married in a restaurant in Pasig City, the BI said, adding that further examination of the document proved it was genuine.

However, the woman admitted no actual marriage took place and that her Chinese companion processed the marriage certificate through an agent for P45,000.

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“This is obviously another case of the mail-order bride scheme that has resurfaced recently,” Tansingco pointed out.

“In these schemes, victims are made to pretend to be the spouse of a foreign national, but they end up as pseudo wives doing domestic work in their destination,” he added.

The BI said the two were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation.