NCMF execs charged with estafa, other raps over 2016 passport mess

Government prosecutors on Friday filed charges before the Pasay City Regional Trial Court against several government officials and employees linked to the alleged passport racket during the Hajj season last year.

In a resolution dated December 29, the Pasay Prosecutor's Office found probable cause to file cases for violation of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940, Philippine Passport Act, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and estafa against the following individuals: 

• Secretary Yasmin Busran-Lao of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos
• NCMF Director for Pilgrimage and Endowments Bureau Salem Demuna
• NCMF Development Management Officer V Zainoden Usudan
• NCMF Development Management Officer III Mamintal Cali 
• NCMF Development Management Officer IV Gamal Hallong
• Lao's chief of staff Norodin Lomondot
• NCMF acting chief of endowment division of the Bureau of Pilgrimage and Endowment Abang Marohomsalic
• NCMF Project Evaluation Officer II Udto Bantuas 
• NCMF employee Sania Mangandog
• NCMF employee Lawrence Dilangalen
• former Department of Foreign Affairs passport division employee Khalid Ali Mapandi 
• alleged hajj leader Omar Abdulaziz 

Charges against 48 officials of the NCMF and DFA, meanwhile, were dropped by the three-man panel led by Assistant State Prosecutor Phillip Dela Cruz for lack of probable cause.

The cases stemmed from the apprehension by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in August last year of 177 Indonesians who tried to leave the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) with genuine Philippine passports.

The Indonesians were eventually sent home last September as they were found to be victims of unscrupulous individuals.

Authorities found that a syndicate sells Philippine passports to interested foreigners at a hefty price so the latter could join the pilgrimage using the Hajj quotas reserved by the Saudi government for Filipinos.

The syndicate is allegedly operating within the DFA, NCMF, and possibly National Statistics Office, according to the BI. —NB, GMA News