PAOCC uncovers travel agency in bogus documents racket for foreigners

MANILA, Philippines – A local travel agency has been employing the so-called “Alice Guo scheme” to secure Philippine identification cards and other government documents for foreign nationals, Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Director Gilberto Cruz said Thursday.

In a press briefing, Cruz presented samples of Philippine identification documents processed by JRB Travel and Consultancy Services Inc. for a Chinese national who availed of their services.

“Ito ang sample nung, sabihin na nating “Alice Guo” scheme na ginawa. Nagsimula siya sa late registration nung certificate niya, birth certificate, kinuha ito sa Cabanatuan City… then meron na rin siyang certificate of marriage, then passport,” Cruz explained.

(This is an example of what we can call the ‘Alice Guo’ scheme. It started with the late registration of their birth certificate in Cabanatuan City… then they also obtained a marriage certificate and a passport.)

“‘Yung pangalan sa passport, pangalan sa marriage certificate at saka sa birth certificate, Filipino na,” he added.

(The name on the passport, marriage certificate, and birth certificate bears a Filipino name.)

Cruz said authorities are still investigating the masterminds behind what he described as a “local criminal syndicate.”

“‘Yun po ang gusto naming matuklasan, sino talaga ang nagpapatakbo. But ‘yung sa operation, nakita namin paano sila gumagalaw. They started with, halimbawa, ‘yung gusto nilang gawin yung style ni Alice Guo to have a late registration ng birth niya and magkaroon siya ng Philippine passport,” he said.

(That’s what we want to uncover—who is really behind this. But in terms of operations, we have seen how they work. They start with a late birth registration, like in the Alice Guo case, and then obtain a Philippine passport.)

READ: Pogo probe missing link? Travel agency eyed in fake documents scheme
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/263518/pogo-probe-missing-link-travel-agency-eyed-in-fake-document-scheme

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Spokesperson Dana Sandoval revealed that the travel agency was accredited in 2021 but banned in 2024 after it was found submitting fake documents to the bureau.

“From then, doon sa investigation ng Paocc, nakita nila despite the ban doon sa accreditation nila, despite the ban sa agency from transacting with the bureau, they continued to offer their services targeting yung mga asawa ng foreign nationals na may immigration problems,” Sandoval explained.

(Paocc’s investigation found that despite the agency’s ban from transacting with the BI, they continued to offer services targeting spouses of foreign nationals with immigration problems.)

She clarified that BI-accredited agencies and law offices do not have the authority to issue Philippine government identification documents to foreigners.

“Hindi po ganito na pamemeke ng mga dokumento. That’s not part of the services that should be offered by accredited agencies, consultancies, law offices that transact in behalf of foreign nationals,”

“The concept of that is that, halimbawa isang law office will represent a foreign national in their transactions niya with the BI, and not kumbaga facilitate the illegal issuances ng documents or pamemeke ng mga dokumento,” she added.

(A law office, for example, should only represent a foreign national in their transactions with the BI and not facilitate the illegal issuance of documents or forgeries.)

Despite being banned, the agency continued offering services, which BI considers illegal.

“So for this case specifically, na-ban na siya ng bureau pero continuously pa rin na nag-ooffer siya ng mga services niya. So tinuturing natin itong fixer kasi illegal yung mga services na inooffer niya, mali yung paraan ng pag-ooffer niya ng mga documents na yun,” Sandoval stressed.

(In this case, the agency was already banned by the BI, yet they continued offering services. That classifies them as fixers because the services they provide are illegal, and the way they facilitate document issuance is fraudulent.)

According to Sandoval, most of the agency’s clients are spouses of foreign nationals who worked for Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo).

Since the Pogo ban in December 2024, all foreign nationals employed by these firms have been issued deportation orders by the BI.

As a result, their spouses sought the agency’s services, paying large sums to prevent deportation and secure their loved ones’ release.

However, Sandoval emphasized that deportation is irreversible once a foreign national is in BI custody.

“Walang uri ng documentation that could be done to reverse that because the subject is in the custody of the BI already and is set for deportation,” the BI spokesperson said.

(No type of documentation can reverse a deportation once the individual is already in BI custody.)