NBI nabs three women at NAIA for fake travel papers

Three women were arrested by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City for allegedly using falsified documents, while an immigration officer was charged for human trafficking and cybercrime.

The NBI-International Airport Investigation Division (NBI-IAID) identified the suspects as Rhea Angelica Borda y Macario, Nora Tafalla y Pandi, and Baby Rhea Urbano Margarico.

They were intercepted on 20 August while attempting to depart for Hong Kong using what authorities said were falsified Overseas Employment Contracts (OECs).

According to the NBI, Borda and Tafalla were stopped at the boarding gates by the Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BCIU), while Margarico was flagged during routine inspections by immigration officers.

They were turned over to the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking (NAIATFAT) under the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) before being handed to the NBI for further investigation.

An NBI-IAID agent confirmed that the women had been recruited through a social media platform for supposed jobs as Customer Service Representatives in Cambodia.

Investigators also found that Immigration Officer Mohammad Rashid Madale Alonto, who remains at large, initially cleared the passengers for departure. Their boarding passes carried departure stamps linked to Alonto. The three arrested passengers also stated that Alonto facilitated their clearance during immigration processing.

The suspects were charged with falsification under Article 172 of the Revised Penal Code. Meanwhile, Alonto faces charges under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (RA 10175) and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (RA 9208).