MANILA, Philippines – Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 intercepted a 24-year-old Filipina in what authorities suspect to be part of an orchestrated mail-order bride scheme.

In a report to Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, the Bureau of Immigration’s Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) said the woman was stopped before she could board a Xiamen Airlines flight bound for Xiamen, China.

The passenger, whose name is withheld in compliance with anti-trafficking laws, initially claimed she was traveling with her brother to reunite with her Chinese husband, presenting a marriage certificate to support her story. Her companion backed her claim, but I-PROBES officers flagged discrepancies in the documents.

“The marriage certificate showed a visibly altered date, and the marriage license was issued after the wedding — raising serious inconsistencies,” I-PROBES reported.

Upon further questioning, the woman admitted that the marriage and the documents were fake. She also revealed she had received ₱8,000 from the Chinese national after the supposed ceremony, intended to reimburse her expenses. She said she was recruited with promises of a better life in exchange for agreeing to the arranged marriage.

“The mail-order bride trap is rising again — all promise upfront, tricking women into fake marriages and exploiting them as domestic workers with little or no pay,” Viado warned.

The BI chief reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to curbing human trafficking, aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive, and in coordination with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).

Both the victim and her travel companion have been turned over to IACAT for further investigation and assistance.