A 50-YEAR-OLD Filipino man was arrested at the Davao International Airport on April 28, after attempting to board a flight using falsified documents.
The Davao International Airport Police confirmed this to TIMES on Wednesday.
According to the report of the PNP-AVSEU, the passenger, whose identity has not been released, now faces a charge for violating Article 172 of the Revised Penal Code, which covers the falsification of documents by private individuals and the use of falsified documents.
The issue surfaced during the airport check-in process.
Airline personnel became suspicious of inconsistencies in the passenger’s Barangay Identification Card and Birth Certificate. Following standard security protocols, the documents were flagged for further verification.
A subsequent check with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) confirmed that the birth certificate had been tampered with.
Authorities also coordinated with the local barangay office, which verified that the identification card presented had been issued to the suspect’s son, not the passenger himself.
The suspect later admitted to the authorities that he had taken his son’s identification card and replaced the original photograph with his own.
Following the confirmation of the fraud, the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSEGROUP) took the suspect into custody. He was transported to the Davao International Airport Police Station, where he was advised of his constitutional rights.
“This arrest underscores the importance of vigilant scrutiny at our airports in preventing the use of falsified documents and ensuring that our aviation gateways remain secure and lawful,” said PBGEN Dionisio B. Bartolome Jr., Director of the PNP-AVSEGROUP.
