The Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted a 45-year-old Filipina bound for Dubai after she was found carrying a falsified Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) at Clark International Airport on July 24.

The passenger presented the document during immigration inspection, but verification through the BI’s integrated system, linked to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) database, revealed that it had been altered.

The woman, who was reportedly set to work as a nanny for an Egyptian employer, claimed she was unaware the OEC was fake and said it had been handed to her by her recruiter.

She was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance and possible filing of charges against those behind her illegal deployment.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the agency’s digital integration with the DMW has strengthened efforts to detect fraudulent documents and prevent illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

The BI urged aspiring OFWs to process deployment documents only through legitimate channels and avoid fixers and illegal recruiters.