KM Viray
Netizen Jo Japson del Carmen was furious when her niece was unable to fly out on the evening of September 5 because when she was about to board her flight, the attendants noticed that two pages had been ripped out of her passport. Del Carmen shared the photos on her Facebook account in the hopes of finding justice for what happened to her niece.
Del Carmen desperately called out to officials because an immigration officer in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA) ruined her niece’s passport. Even worse, when her niece made a complaint at the terminal, she was directed from one office to another without any results or action taken.
According to the Philippine Embassy, a passport is no longer valid when it has been mutilated. A mutilated passport is one which has been damaged, such as when the cover has been removed from the passport or when a page or pages have been ripped out.
Unfortunately, the process of replacing a damaged passport is similar to that of replacing a lost or stolen passport which takes time, something del Carmen’s niece clearly didn’t have when she was about to board her flight.
Netizen Kris Tine, who is presumably the victim herself based on the comments, said that instead of investigating the matter, the offices she went to at the airport kept telling her it was her fault and it was due to her carelessness that the pages had gotten ripped out. Kristine also noted that the immigration officer had stamped the page which came after where the ripped pages should have been, saying it was impossible the immigration officer did not notice the tear.
Kristine also voiced out her frustration at being shunted from one office to another and with the officers just ignoring her complaint.
“Nakakawalang tiwala na tlga.. hindi mo na makikilala ang mga pwede mong mapagkatiwalaan.. dahil nakauniporme man o hindi ipapahamak ka rin kung kelan nila gusto [This really makes you lose your faith in some people. You don’t know who to trust. Whether they’re in uniform or not, they can cause problems for you if they want],” she said.
Del Carmen and Kristine are asking netizens to help spread the word so that it may reach the Department of Foreign Affairs. Such acts should not be condoned, especially if the victims are simple and hardworking people just trying to make a living for their families.
