BI intercepts 19 Indonesians, Malaysians with Phl passports

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has intercepted 15 more Indonesians and four Malaysians who traveled recently to Saudi Arabia using Philippine passports for the Hajj pilgrimage.

The latest batch of foreigners who illegally obtained and used Philippine passports were nabbed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Sept. 22, 24 and 25, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said yesterday.

Morente said BI intelligence agents apprehended the Indonesians after receiving a tip from their fellow Indonesians.

“Their compatriots, who are also Sheikhs, admitted that they traveled with other Indonesians with assumed Filipino names and Philippine passports,” Morente said.

The BI chief said three Muslim elders were turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), which will probe their possible involvement in the passport scam.

Morente said the Malaysians were subjected to evaluation by immigration officers upon their arrival at the airport.

From the airport, the foreigners were brought to Villamor Golf and Country Club to undergo questioning by an inter-agency task force composed of representatives from the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Justice, BI, NBI and the Indonesian and Malaysian embassies in Manila.

The Indonesians and Malaysians were released on recognizance to their embassies, which will arrange their repatriation.

Morente ordered a parallel investigation to determine if immigration personnel were involved in the departure of the pilgrims last August.

The passport racket involving Hajj pilgrims was uncovered on Aug. 19 when BI officials at the NAIA intercepted 177 Indonesians as they were about to board a Philippine Airlines flight to Mecca.