Philippine Senator Reveals "Milk Candy Scandal 2.0" Passenger Passports Fake Exit Seal

On November 29, local time, Philippine Senator Lisa Hontivilos (Risa Hontiveros) said that just like in the "customs protection scandal" or "candy scandal" in 2020, immigration (BI) staff were once again associated with trafficking in Filipinos. This time, they used fake exit seals to "escort" the victims abroad, bypassing the airport checkpoints of the immigration department.

At the Senate hearing, Hontivilos said: "The plot has become more and more complicated, and it is simply an enhanced version of the plot we have heard before. It seems that Chinese gangs are not the only culprits. Although they are the main villains, they also have immigration personnel involved. This is like the candy scandal that was exposed before, but it is worse and more intense."

The Senate unveiled plans for the candy scandal during the last Congress, when immigration officials allegedly charged every Chinese citizen a 10,000 peso "service fee" in exchange for their quick entry and exit.

The victim, who goes by the pseudonym "Paulo", said he had thought he had been recruited to Thailand as a customer service representative, but later found out he would be sent to Burma as a con man.

Paul told the committee that recruiter Laisa Magallanes instructed him at that time that there would be people inside the airport to escort them and provide VIP services so that they could leave the country quickly. However, he was told that the cost of the service was 30,000 pesos and would be deducted from their wages.

After arriving at the airport on October 4, a staff member found him and asked him to hand in his passport in order to help him check in.

Paul shared: "After completing the check-in procedure, I often queue up at the immigration checkpoint. Then the staff member called and scolded me, saying that I was an airport employee, not a Philippine foreign worker or passenger. Why did I queue up at the immigration office?"

He was told to go to Bay 13 in the arrival area. At this time, the escort handed in an ID card showing that he was an employee working at the airport.

The escort's assistant then again asked him to surrender his passport.

Feeling something strange, Paul sent a message to Magallanes at that time, telling her that he would not continue the process.

He added: "I insisted that they return my passport and then took me to the coffee shop outside the airport. I was full of fear. When we arrived at the coffee shop, I found that the passport was stamped with the words VOID, and then found that one of the pages appeared to have an exit stamp from the immigration department, but I did not actually pass the immigration department."

As a result of the cancellation, Paul went to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Area Authority (TIIZA) counter to seek a refund of his travel tax and tell them what happened to him, who told Paul to seek police help.

Paul then took a taxi and hurried home because he thought the recruiters and escorts had a lot of associates at the airport.

After searching the Internet for relevant information, Paul said: "The next day, I found out that the whole plan was to take us to Myanmar. I also found that some people in Myanmar have passed the exit procedure instead of passing through the immigration department, but by pretending to be the modus operandi of the airport staff."

Paul added that those already in Myanmar are in urgent need of help, adding that "I have also contacted people in Myanmar and I know they need help. I also hope that recruiters will be responsible for their mistakes, because too many Filipinos have been victimized and will continue to be victimized."

Senator Lisa Hontivilos was disappointed and said: "Instead of being eradicated, the candy scandal has become worse. Criminals have become more creative, allowing our compatriots to be used by Chinese criminal gangs, forcing them to become liars and extort money from innocent people."

Immigration Director Norman Tansingco, who attended the hearing, said they were "not fully aware of the modus operandi" but had heard of the same illegal action four times.

When asked whether the seal on Paul's passport was authentic, Chen Xingo said, "Obviously it is false".

Senator Raffy Tulfo said afterwards that the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) should be the first agency to be questioned because the identity documents provided to Paul were issued by the agency.

The senator said: "Let us investigate who issued these passes. I'm sure there is an accomplice group inside."