‘Fake husband’ barred from leaving Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Immigration officers prevented a 25-year-old man from leaving for Macau – ostensibly to visit his wife, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) – on Christmas Eve.

In a statement yesterday, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said the “fake husband,” believed to be a victim of illegal recruitment, presented a marriage certificate that turned out to be forged.

The man later admitted to having bought the document on Facebook for P1,500.

“We suspect he might be traveling after being illegally recruited to work abroad, hence the story and the fake document,” BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.

The man was referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation and assistance.

Tansingco reminded aspiring OFWs not to agree to illegal schemes to work abroad.