The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Sunday that its operatives at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) apprehended a departing foreign passenger last 11 June for suspected misuse of a Vanuatu passport.

BI commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the foreigner as Alex Cooper, who claimed Vanuatu nationality. He was intercepted at the NAIA Terminal 3 before boarding a Thai Airways flight to Bangkok.

Authorities suspect Cooper may be a Chinese national using a fraudulent passport.

Tansingco said Cooper is currently detained at the BI Warden Facility in Taguig City for further investigation and will be facing potential deportation as an undesirable alien.

“If evidence confirms Cooper is a Chinese citizen using a Vanuatu passport obtained through fixers, he will be deported and banned from re-entering the Philippines,” Tansingco said.

The BI stressed its zero-tolerance policy for forged documents and misrepresentation.

“Foreign nationals who violate immigration laws by using fake documents will be apprehended and deported to their country of origin,” Tansingco said.

An investigation by the BI’s Border Control and Intelligence Unit revealed inconsistencies in Cooper’s story, as he speaks fluent Mandarin but struggles with English.

He has also no knowledge of Vanuatu’s culture and has never visited the island nation and even uses a Chinese mobile phone.

Further investigation linked Cooper to a BI alert list based on informant tip-offs regarding his suspected use of a forged Vanuatu passport for travel between Japan and Thailand.