OFW with ‘double’ identity prevented from leaving PH

THE Bureau of Immigration recently stopped an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) from leaving the country after it was discovered that someone else had previously traveled with the same identity. 

A first-time traveler, alias Olive attempted to depart for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as an OFW at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on January 25.

Primary inspection officers, however, found out that Olive had already recorded departures as an OFW in 2015 and 2019.

“Careful scrutiny of her records reveals that another person, bearing the exact same identity details, has traveled before,” the BI said. 

Olive later admitted that in 2014, she was recruited by an agent in Maguindanao, who changed her birth year to 1990 to comply with the then 23-year-old age requirement for household service workers.

She admitted to having paid P1,500 for her new birth certificate but said that she was not able to push through with her application and has not heard from her recruiter since.  

Olive claimed to be the real owner of the name and details that were used before her.   

Her case was forwarded to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for a proper investigation into the incident.