BI warns public vs online sale of fake OECs

BY JUN RAMIREZ

Jun 2, 2023 12:44 PM

  

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Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued a stern warning to the public on Friday, June 2, about the increasing prevalence of counterfeit overseas employment certificates (OECs) that are being sold online.

***(Courtesy of Bureau of Immigration)***

The cautionary message follows a recent incident where BI officers intercepted a group of Filipinos who were attempting to depart the country using fake OECs.

The BI's travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) reported that three individuals, consisting of one female and two males in their 30s, were apprehended at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last Tuesday, May 30, as they tried to board an Air China flight to Warsaw, Poland.

Furthermore, authorities at the Clark International Airport (CIA) also foiled an attempt by a male passenger to board an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai on May 28 as he presented a forged OEC.

Prior to these incidents, in May, the BI intercepted two female victims who were bound for Poland at NAIA.

During the investigation, all the victims confessed to paying amounts ranging from P1,000 to P10,000 to online fixers in exchange for the fraudulent documents.

Tansingco emphasized the integration of their system with the Department of Migrant Workers' database, enabling them to easily verify authentic OECs.

The victims have been referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation. Appropriate charges will be filed against the scammers involved in these incidents.

BI rolls out electronic registration of passengers starting April 15

BY JUN RAMIREZ

  

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AT A GLANCE

• The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will start on Saturday, April 15), the electronic registration of arriving and departing passengers to simplify immigration procedures and clearances.

• BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the bureau has discarded the paper-based registration and adopted e-travel platform to establish an integrated border control, health surveillance, and economic data analysis.

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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will start on Saturday, April 15), the electronic registration of arriving and departing passengers to simplify immigration procedures and clearances.

(Bureau of Immigration / file photo)

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the bureau has discarded the paper-based registration and adopted e-travel platform to establish an integrated border control, health surveillance, and economic data analysis.

"The system consolidates operations of all border management agencies to save government resources," the BI chief said.

The system is a joint project of various government offices under the Inter-Agency Task Force which included the  Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Tourism, the Bureau of Quarantine, the Bureau of Customs, the Department of Health, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Justice, the National Privacy Commission and the BI.

All passengers and crew members arriving into the Philippines are required to register through etravel.gov.ph not earlier than 72 hours from their scheduled arrival.

Those who fail to register will be assisted by airline staff upon their arrival.

Tansingco said outbound Filipino passengers are required to register in the e-travel system 72 hours, but not less than three hours before flying out of the country.

Already registered passengers may update their e-travel status under the Edit Registration tab while crew members may update under the Registered Crew tab.

"The paper-based arrival and departure cards can only be used by passengers who are incapable of e-travel registration, or when the electronic system is inaccessible," Tansingco said.

Tansingco said registration in the e-travel portal is free of charge. 

BI places personnel at NAIA, other int'l airports under heightened alert for Holy Week

BY JUN RAMIREZ

  

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has placed its personnel at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and in other international ports under heightened alert status in anticipation of a large influx of passengers during the Lenten break.

“We are bracing for a surge in the volume of passenger who are expected to travel in and out of the country during the Holy Week, thus we have to alert our border control officers for any eventuality that may arise during this period,” said BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco.

The BI chief said they also fielded more than a hundred additional immigration officers to the NAIA to augment the number of manpower manning the immigration booths in the arrival and departure areas.

“This will ensure that our services to the traveling public are not interrupted even if there is a sharp increase in passenger volume," he added.

Tansingco said he  instructed the bureau’s terminal heads in the airports to implement stricter measures in screening passengers and deter any attempts by human trafficking syndicates to take advantage of the occasion in spiriting their victims out of the country.

BI port personnel were also ordered to be vigilant in screening arriving foreigners to make sure that no unwanted aliens are able to slip into the country.

The BI’s electronic gates are fully operational at the NAIA which allows digital processing of arrivals for as fast as eight seconds per passenger.

The BI foresees a far bigger number of travelers who will enter and exit the country during this year’s Lenten break in light of the country’s reopening of its borders after the lifting of Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Statistics show that passenger arrivals at airports now averages between 30,000 to 32,000 daily, compared to only 6,000 last year.

The number is expected to increase to around 40,000 during on Maundy Thursday onwards.