DFA yet to receive BI report on Chinese nationals using Philippine passports

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it has yet to receive a report from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) about Chinese nationals allegedly holding Philippine passports.

In a statement, the DFA added that it was already closely working with the BI to make sure that foreigners coming in and out of the country are not using Philippine passports.

"Existing protocols ensure that the BI or other government agencies that detect any foreign national holding a Philippine passport are to immediately confiscate the passport and coordinate with the DFA on the matter," the DFA said in a statement.

To maintain the integrity and credibility of the country's passport system, the DFA said it has already reconstituted the Inter-Agency Committee Against Passport Irregularities.

The committee is composed of the Department of Justice, Department of Interior and Local Government, the BI, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippine National Police, among others.

The DFA assured the public that the "Philippine e-Passport system remained secure and that its frontline consular personnel was vigilant."

The agency's statement came after Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed in a Senate inquiry that Philippine passports were among the government-issued documents being peddled by travel agencies to Chinese tourists through a messaging platform. — Angelica Y. Yang/MDM, GMA News