Mail-order bride? Woman hid China visa by gluing passport pages

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MANILA, Philippines — Immigration officials intercepted a suspected human trafficking victim at Davao International Airport after she allegedly tried to conceal her true destination by gluing her passport pages together.

In a statement on Sunday, April 12, the Bureau of Immigration said the 25-year-old woman from Sultan Kudarat was stopped on April 1 while trying to board a Cebu Pacific flight to Bangkok, Thailand.

The traveler initially claimed she was headed to Thailand for an eight-day solo vacation.

However, primary inspection officers noticed a concealed visa page in her passport, prompting her immediate referral to the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section for further questioning.

During secondary inspection, the woman admitted she had intentionally glued the pages of her passport to hide a valid Chinese visa.

She said her actual destination was China, where she was supposed to meet a "groom" arranged by an acquaintance she met through a relative.

The woman also admitted she had no prior direct communication with the man and had been promised a dowry of P500,000 upon marriage.

Mail-order bride scheme cited

The BI said its investigation showed that the woman's travel documents, including her flight and hotel bookings, had been pre-arranged by her contact.

She was also given falsified supporting documents meant to help her get past immigration checks.

According to the bureau, the case is part of a "mail-order bride" trafficking scheme.

The woman has since been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance and further investigation.

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