BI warns public vs. fake CFO certs

The public was alerted by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) over the use of fictitious Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) certificates.

This warning comes after another suspected trafficking victim was stopped by immigration officials at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as she attempted to leave the country with a forged Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) certificate.

In a report given to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) said that the female passenger was intercepted at NAIA Terminal 3 when she attempted to board a Jetstar Airlines flight bound for Nagoya, Japan.

According to the I-PROBES, the victim, whose identity was withheld due to a prohibition in the anti-trafficking law, reportedly claimed that she was going to visit her spouse in Japan, to whom she is allegedly married.

The passenger also presented a PSA marriage certificate as proof of the couple’s wedding and a CFO Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) certificate.

According to the Bureau, the GCP Digital Certificate is a mandatory seminar to educate Filipinos involved in intermarriages and interracial relationships organized by the CFO. It definitely acts as a deterrent to trafficking under the pretense of marriage and mail-order spouse schemes.

The barcoded confirmation on the GCP certificate, according to Tansingco, can not be scanned. It was sent to the victim's personal email address rather than the CFO's registered email address. This discrepancy raises the possibility that the certificate in question is fraudulent.

Due to the various anomalies pointed out to her, she confessed that the certificate was forged and produced by a local fixer who specializes in recruiting and exploiting Filipinas.

The BI chief once again issued a warning, stating that they closely monitor every issuance through a shared information system between the CFO and the BI; thus, the proliferation of fake CFO certifications will not succeed.