Immigration officials at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has barred six Filipinos bound for the United States from leaving the country for carrying spurious travel documents.
Immigration Commissioner Rufus Rodriguez said the six were offloaded last Monday by immigration officers at the NAIA departure area as they were boarding an Asiana Airlines flight to Los Angeles, California.
They were identified as Cirilo Santos Delcampo, Maura David Delcampo, Carmelita Bhagwani, Emma Cervantes, Michaella Narcelles and Analyn Sanchez.
Rodriguez said the six were prevented from leaving the country after immigration officers discovered that Cervantes, Narcelles and Sanchez were mere "look-alikes" of the persons whose pictures appeared in their passports.
The three later admitted under investigation that they were not the real owners of the passports and their fraudulent travel papers were provided by the Morning Star Travel and Tours Agency.
The passports of the three passengers were owned by Archie Longo, Maybeline Ramirez and Josephine Hasmin.
Danilo Almeda, NAIA chief immigration supervisor, said the three other passengers, whose documents were in order, were likewise offloaded as they were suspected of being the couriers for the fake passport holders.
Almeda said it appeared during the investigation that the Delcampo couple and Bhagwani were escorting the three passengers to gain illegal entry to the United States.
Rodriguez said he has ordered the filing of criminal charges against the six passengers for falsification of public documents and violation of the passport law in the Pasay City Prosecutor's Office.
Also to be charged is a certain Solita Parcon Velasco, who allegedly owns the Morning Star travel agency responsible for giving the fraudulent passports to the apprehended passengers.
The said agency will also be investigated by the Bureau of Immigration for revocation of its accreditation which would ban it from transacting business with the bureau.
Rodriguez also instructed his men at the NAIA to closely examine the physical appearances of departing travelers to make sure that they are the real owners of the passports they hold.