NBI nabs couple for passport, visa fraud

Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation arrested the other day two suspected members of a syndicate involved in the tampering and faking of Philippine passports and United States non-immigrant visas.

The suspects were identified by NBI director Federico Opinion Jr. as businessman David Fuentes, 43, of 59 Anahaw St., Project 7, Quezon City; and Juliet Gercio, 40, of Don Jose St., Barangay C-3, Caloocan City.

Investigation conducted by the NBI International Police Division under Ricardo Diaz revealed that the suspects have long been active in the sale of tampered Philippine passports and US non-immigrant visas which they sell to willing buyers at P300,000 a pair.

Acting on this information, Diaz immediately dispatched two NBI agents to make contact with the suspects. The agents, posing as a couple, met Gercio at her house in Caloocan City last Sept. 14.

The lady agent asked Gercio if she could provide her a US visa and a Philippine passport without having to visit the US Embassy.

Gercio told the agent that she could provide the documents for P300,000 and asked the agents to meet her and Fuentes at a restaurant inside Shoe Mart North EDSA mall a week later to finalize the deal. The undercover agents then handed over P25,000 to Gercio as "downpayment" for the documents.

On Sept. 27, armed with an arrest warrant issued by Quezon City Judge Hilario Laqui, the undercover agents went to the restaurant to meet the suspects. Fuentes and Gercio were arrested after receiving the balance of P275,000 in marked cash and handing over the tampered documents to the agents.

A follow-up search at Fuentes’ house led to the seizure of sophisticated computer hardware and a scanner allegedly used in the tampering of passports and visas. A tampered Philippine passport bearing the name of a certain Marivic P. Dulay was also seized from the house.

Verification made by the NBI with the Department of Foreign Affairs showed that the passport given to the undercover agent as well as the one bearing Dulay’s name were originally issued to different persons.

Charges for violation of the 1996 Philippine Passport Act are being readied against the suspects in the Department of Justice. Fuentes and Gercio are now detained at the NBI jail.

Late last month, agents of the NBI-Interpol arrested four persons also for tampering of Philippine passports. The suspects identified as Romy David, 45, of Candaba; Melba Quizon, 40, of Macabebe; Ervin Arceo, 28, of Apalit; and Gary Canlas, 22, of San Fernando, all of Pampanga, were arrested at the US Embassy shortly after they tried to pass themselves off as members of another Filipino family who are also applying for US visas.