177 Indonesians posing as Pinoys stopped from flying out of NAIA
The apprehended Indonesian pilgrims
Manila—-Immigration officials this morning (August 19) stopped 177 Indonesians from flying out of Manila’s international airport for the Hajj in Saudi Arabia after they pretended to be Filipino pilgrims, using genuine Philippine passports.
A total of 185 passengers-—including the 177 Indonesians—-were barred from boarding Philippine Airlines flight PR 8689 to Medina at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, said a Bureau of Immigration (BI) official who requested anonymity.
It was a special flight for pilgrims going to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, or the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
Immigration officers were alerted because the Indonesians could not speak or understand Filipino or the Maranao, Cebuano, or Maguindanao dialects. They only spoke English.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said five Filipinos who were supposed to escort them in their trip were also apprehended.
Morente said all of the Indonesians were found “in possession of fraudulently obtained genuine Philippine passports” allegedly provided by their Filipino escorts who organized the pilgrimage.
Morente said the Indonesians allegedly paid US$6,000 to US$10,000 so that they could obtain Philippine passports and go on the Hajj, using the quota reserved for Filipino pilgrims by the Saudi government.
He declined to reveal the names of the Indonesians and their Filipino escorts pending further investigation by the BI and other law enforcement agencies.
The Indonesians claim that they arrived in the Philippines individually as tourists in the past few weeks before their pilgrimage was facilitated by their escorts.
Morente said the operation was conducted after the BI Intelligence Division gathered information that a group of Indonesians with Philippine passports was scheduled to leave on Aug. 18 and Aug. 19. It had obtained the names of two of their escorts.
The BI started investigating the passport racket after President Duterte’s pronouncement that foreigners were using Philippine passports to attend the Hajj, “courtesy of corrupt officials handling the pilgrimage to Mecca.”
Morente ordered the immediate filing of charges against the Indonesians for misrepresenting themselves as Filipinos and “for being undesirable aliens.”
He added that the BI was coordinating with the Indonesian Embassy to ascertain the identities of the pilgrims prior to their deportation.
Morente also said he will also coordinate with the Department of Foreign Affairs in investigating how the Indonesians were issued Philippine passports.