BI nabs Vietnamese couple with fake passport stamps

MANILA, Philippines  – A Vietnamese couple was arrested for attempting to leave the Philippines with fake Immigration stamps on their passports, Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Thursday.

BI Port Operations chief Grifton Medina identified the suspects as Nguyen Thanh Quang, 35 and his wife Pham Thi Dung, 34.

The couple was about to board a Philippine Airlines flight to Ho Chih Minh City last March 30 when operatives of BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) intercepted them at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2.

Medina said the arrival stamps on the suspects’ passports showed they arrived last March 11 but the BI’s database confirmed that the couple did not arrive on that date.

BI’s Anti-Fraud section also confirmed that the arrival stamps on the passports were fake.

BI-TCEU Chief Erwin Ortañez said the couple have been staying in the country for nine months, noting that the last date of their arrival was June 5, 2018.

The couple was detained at the BI Detention Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City and will face their charges for violating the Philippine Immigration Act. /gsg