Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert warned overseas Filipinos against the perils of presenting fake documents abroad.

“I would like to advise our countrymen who try to legalize their immigration status, secure employment, or establish their qualifications abroad by presenting fraudulent documents, not to resort to this scheme,” Secretary Albert said.  “Once discovered, it invites criminal prosecution, a stiff fine, and usually a jail term; not to mention the damage it inflicts on the reputation of Filipinos as legitimate travelers, as well as the integrity of our documents.”

Secretary Albert reacted to a report from the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. that the Cayman Islands started a crackdown on Filipinos who were able to secure Cayman Islands drivers licenses by presenting spurious Philippine drivers licenses.

The crackdown purportedly began with an OFW who held a grudge against a relative and reported to the authorities that the latter used a fake Philippine license to secure a local one.  As a result, Cayman Islands authorities decided to review their license records, which revealed numerous cases of Filipinos with fake Philippine drivers license.  END