A British national and his Filipina companion were held at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport after the woman was caught using a tampered passport.
Timothy Mark Fielding, 41, and Cecile Visales, 26, were about to depart for Singapore when they were held by immigration officials at 11:50 p.m. Thursday.
The Bureau of Immigration sought the help of the police when Visales’ passport was found to be tampered, said Senior Insp. Maria Autora Rayos, chief of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Community Relations.
Fielding later admitted that Visales had used his wife’s passport, said police.
The name and photo of Visales were superimposed on the wife’s passport.
The two travelers were later detained at the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office.
Police said both will be charged for violation of the Republic Act 9208 or the Human Trafficking Law.
Fielding said he just wanted to help Visales travel to Singapore.
Visales is a native of Mindanao and worked as a househelper in barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.
Fielding told police that he had visited Visales in Cebu three times until they agreed to travel to Singapore.
Fielding said he was a company supervisor in his country.
The two got to know each other through a social networking site a few years ago.
Fielding was reading a Bible in his detention cell when he was interviewed by Cebu Daily News.
He said his lawyer is taking care of his case.