Passports – the primary document that proves our Filipino identity here and abroad – should never be “sold.”
That was the contention of former National Defense Secretary Orlando “Orly” Mercado as he called for a probe into the alleged “passports-for-sale” scheme.
In a statement issued November 14, Mercado expressed alarm at the fact that foreign nationals have “no difficulty” procuring genuine Filipino passports, something he called “a privilege only true Filipinos should enjoy.”
“If you can't even trust your passport as a document proving you are a true Filipino, then what else can you trust? There must be a more extensive probe into the agencies concerned,” he asserted.
During the recent Senate deliberations on the 2024 national budget, several senators have expressed concern over reports that foreign nationals can “buy” Philippine passports, with the connivance of corrupt officials, for up to P500,000 per passport.
The “passport-for-sale” scheme had allegedly allowed foreign nationals, especially those under the “black list” of the Bureau of Immigration (BI), to pass easily into the country’s borders and evade rigorous checking by immigration officials.
On a separate hearing on POGOs led by Senator Risa Hontiveros, it was also revealed that local authorities obtained other official identification documents such as TIN ID, PhilHealth ID, Alien Certificate of Registration, Alien Employment Permit, and even Police Clearance IDs during a recent POGO raid in Pasay City.
The Office of the Ombudsman, on the other hand, had announced that it is eyeing to conduct a motu proprio investigation on the alleged issuance of Philippine passports and other documents to foreign nationals.
Mercado also said that this issue has become more than a graft issue but also a security issue, considering the current tensions with the Chinese military at the West Philippine Sea and the alleged “security risks” posed by Chinese nationals working for Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
“Given the current tensions between Beijing and Manila over the West Philippine Sea, one has to wonder why these Chinese nationals are faking their identities and posing as Filipinos when they enter the country,” he added.
“It is bad enough that we have a porous maritime border, given that we are an archipelago. But, it is even more horrible that criminals can and do make a mockery of our official documents — even in this day and age of information technology.”
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