A Cameroonian was arrested for using a stolen French passport in Cebu, Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Thursday, November 23, 2023. (Photo from BI)
MANILA, Philippines – A Cameroonian was denied entry at Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) for falsely claiming to be a French and using a stolen French passport, Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Thursday.
BI said its border control and enforcement unit identified the man from Central Africa as 31-year-old Valentine Forkwa Mbanwei.
Mbanwei arrived at MCIA on November 20 on board Singapore Airlines from Singapore.
He tried to pass as a French citizen and presented a French passport with a different name.
“His ruse did not work out as it registered an Interpol hit indicating that the French passport was reported stolen and lost by the owner,” BI said in a press release.
The man later admitted his true identity and presented his Cameroonian passport.
“Mbanwei was immediately denied entry for misrepresentation, for not possessing an entry visa, and for being likely to become a public charge,” BI continued.
According to the immigration bureau, the foreigner will be included in the country’s immigration blacklist, banning him from entry in the Philippines indefinitely.