MANILA — A Filipina was barred from leaving the country when authorities uncovered that she faked her marriage to a Chinese based in Cambodia, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Friday.

The Filipina, suspected to be a trafficking victim, was prevented by immigration officers from boarding her flight May 14, "after officers discovered that she presented a spurious certificate of marriage," the BI said in a statement.

The BI said that aside from discrepancies in her documents, inspectors noted "many inconsistencies" in the Filipina's statement.

The unnamed Filipina tapped a fixer for processing her travel documents and paid P35,000, which was shouldered by her fake foreign spouse, according to the BI.

"A check of her alleged husband's travel record showed that he was barred from entering the country by BI officers at the NAIA in September last year on the ground that he is likely to become a public charge," the BI also said.

"The certificate of marriage the victim presented, however, indicate[s] that their marriage occurred in October last year or a month after her alleged spouse was barred from entering the country."

Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said using fake marriage documents to circumvent inspection is "an old trick that will no longer work."