THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned the public against fake Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) certificates being circulated in the country and are sold by scammers.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued the warning after two Filipinos about to leave the country were caught carrying fake GCP certificates at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
The GCP certificate is a requirement for the pre-departure seminar that is conducted by the CFO to ensure that Filipinos are well educated and informed of the realities of social and cultural issues in other countries about inter-marriages and bi-national relationships.
The certificate is proof that the bearer of the GCP underwent the pre-departure seminar and is allowed to leave the country.
The two passengers, who allegedly already tried to leave the country twice, were nabbed by primary inspectors for possession of spurious documents, and both failed to show an official digital copy of the certificated issued by the CFO.
One victim said she got the certificate from an unidentified individual near the CFO office for P2,000, while the other got hers for P5,000.
“The government imposed the pre-departure counseling services to deter trafficking in the guise of marriage and the mail-order bride scheme. This is also to ensure that migrating Filipinos know their available support network abroad in times of distress,” according to Tansingco.
“Always verify the legitimacy of your transactions with authorized CFO agents only,” he added.
The two are now under the custody of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.