The Bureau of Immigration apprehended two foreigners who pretended to be Filipinas on Wednesday, July 10.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that the two women, identified only as ”Dianne” and ‘Myla,” attempted to travel to Beijing when they were stopped by immigration officers.
”Officers doubted their identity when they noticed that the two women were unable to speak in any Filipino language,” the BI said in a press release on Saturday.
According to the BI, Diane, 61, presented a valid Philippine passport and a birth certificate.
The BI noted that her birth was registered only in 2002, when she was already 39 years old.
Diane made ”highly inconsistent statements about her identity and declared that she could not remember the name of the school she attended in the Philippines,” it said.
Myla attempted to pass through a separate immigration counter but was also referred for further assessment after inconsistencies were found.
She has a Philippine passport, a Philippine driver’s license, and a UMID card.
Myla claimed that she was homeschooled by her grandmother and cannot recall details about her childhood or her family.
However, Myla later admitted that she was only able to acquire the documents through a contact she met online.
Tansingco said that they believe the two women are Chinese citizens.
“This seems like another case of fraud, wherein foreign nationals are able to secure Philippine documents through illegal means,” he said.
Diane and Myla are currently detained at the BI’s facility in Bicutan, Taguig City, while undergoing deportation proceedings.
The BI is also looking into their activities in the country and possible links with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News
