PASAY, Philippines – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 stopped last May 16 two Filipinas believed to be enmeshed in a coordinated mail-order bride scheme.
In a report to Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) said the women, both in their early twenties, were stopped before boarding a Xiamen Airlines flight to China. They claimed they were joining their Chinese spouses.
Upon separate inspection, both women presented marriage certificates and claimed they had been married for a long time.
However, I-PROBES found numerous inconsistencies in their statements, and discovered that both weddings took place the same date and time.
Upon further interview, the victims admitted that the marriage was fake and said two more Filipinas had also wed Chinese nationals that same day.
She further disclosed that a third party arranged the marriage and documents, and her only task was to attend the ceremony. They were instructed to pretend that they did not know each other during the trip.
“This scheme continues to evolve, targeting vulnerable Filipinas,” said Viado. “Traffickers are trying new tactics to exploit our women.”
Viado reaffirmed the Bureau’s commitment, in coordination with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), to combat human trafficking and protect at-risk Filipinos.
The victims were turned over to IACAT for further investigation against their recruiters. #
