Trafficking victim caught with fake CFO papers

MANILA, Philippines — Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recently intercepted a female trafficking victim attempting to use a fraudulent Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO) certificate.

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the 20-year-old passenger, whose name is withheld in compliance with anti-trafficking laws, tried to depart for Nagoya, Japan on Nov. 14 at the NAIA Terminal 3.

Viado said the woman claimed she was traveling to Japan to visit her alleged husband, a Japanese national, and had presented a fake CFO certificate to meet travel requirements.

However, discrepancies in the certificate prompted immediate verification through the BI-CFO joint system, which confirmed the document was invalid.

“Our officers swiftly initiated a check using the BI-CFO joint system, which enabled real-time verification of the authenticity of her documents,” Viado said.

The system, designed to streamline the processing, verification and sharing of data between the BI and the CFO, confirmed that the certificate number presented did not exist in the CFO database.

Further investigation revealed that the woman had purchased the counterfeit CFO certificate from an online fixer for P3,000.

“This joint system has proven to be an essential tool in preventing trafficking by quickly identifying fraudulent documents,” Viado said. “The seamless data-sharing between the BI and CFO helps us protect Filipinos from falling victim to these syndicates.”

The victim has been referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation and for the filing of appropriate charges against those involved in producing the fake certificate.