Immigration bureau warns vs fake CFO docs, says fixers asked as high as P8,000

MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday warned the public against patronizing fixers for documents at the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), after victims said their fees for its Guidance and Counseling Program reached as high as P8,000. 

Immigration Spokesperson Dana Sandoval said their office has intercepted fixers for the scheme in various airports, recently in Clark International Airport and Cebu International Airport. 

Some even asked their victims for another P4,000 for “assistance.” 

“Isa doon sa mga emerging trends ay iyong pamemeke po ng Commission on Filipino Overseas certificate o iyong CFO certificate po na tinatawag; itong CFO ay requirement ng Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking para doon sa mga kababayan natin na mag-a-abroad to meet and marry foreign spouse,” said Sandoval. 

“Kung ito po ay nagdaan sa isang fixer, hindi po natin kinuha directly from CFO, then definitely po may problema po iyan, kabahan na po tayo, maaari pong ito ay peke. We also have CFO Representatives sa ating mga paliparan na siya pong nagbi-verify kung mayroon po tayong nakikitang kaduda-duda doon po sa certificate nila,” she added.

The agency’s Guidance and Counseling Program aims to protect Filipino fiancé and spouses who have partners abroad and plan on migrating overseas. 

“It is a definite deterrent to mail-order bride schemes and trafficking in the guise of marriage,” the CFO website read. 

The agency said it “does not collect registration fees from our clients” but noted that they only charge courier and convenience fees required by their service providers and a Documentary Stamp Tax, which costs P30 per person. 

Sandoval said the Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking was working with the victims to file cases against the suspects. 

“​​We really see the need na mahabol ito, makakasuhan itong mga recruiters na ito, itong mga namemeke at mga fixers ng mga dokumento para matigil na po iyong mga ganitong kalokohan at mga dokumento na kumakalat po at ginagamit ng ating mga kababayan palabas po ng bansa,” she said. 

Government, she noted, would not be able to protect individuals who would use fake documents to go overseas or work outside of the Philippines. 

"And hindi lang po sa hindi siya pinapayagan ng gobyerno, it’s really to the disadvantage siguro ng ating mga kababayan na magtatrabaho abroad because hindi nila nakukuha iyong suporta, supposedly, ng gobyerno; hindi nila nakukuha iyong proteksiyon ng gobyerno if they go out of the country," she said.