Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert warns overseas Filipinos against the perils of presenting fake documents abroad.

�I would like to advise our countrymen who try to legalize their immigration status, secure employment, or establish their qualifications abroad by presenting fraudulent documents, not to resort to this scheme,� Secretary Albert said. �Once discovered, it invites criminal prosecution, a stiff fine, and usually a jail term; not to mention the damage it inflicts on the reputation of Filipinos as legitimate travelers, as well as the integrity of our documents.�

Secretary Albert reacted to a report from the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. that the Cayman Islands started a crackdown on Filipinos who were able to secure Cayman Islands drivers licenses by presenting spurious Philippine drivers licenses.

The crackdown purportedly began with an OFW who held a grudge against a relative and reported to the authorities that the latter used a fake Philippine license to secure a local one. As a result, Cayman Islands authorities decided to review their license records, which revealed numerous cases of Filipinos with fake Philippine drivers license.