Indonesian pilgrims caught with Philippine passports

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia / ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines

Indonesia is investigating reports that 177 of its citizens were caught with Philippine passports at a Manila airport before boarding a flight to Saudi Arabia ahead of the Hajj pilgrimage.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir told Anadolu Agency on Saturday that Philippine authorities intercepted Friday a group of Indonesians who had arrived in the country using Indonesian passports, but switched to Philippine passports before the flight to Saudi Arabia.

"We are checking [the information]," said Nasir, adding that a team from the Indonesian embassy in Manila had arrived at the facility where the pilgrims are being held.

"If it becomes necessary to take legal action, we will provide legal assistance."

As the recipient of the largest Hajj quota, Indonesia -- the world’s most populous Muslim country, with a population of around 256 million -- sends around 200,000 pilgrims to Mecca and Medina every year for the largest annual gathering of people in the world.

Each Indonesian pilgrim must pay a deposit of around $2,500 and there are currently more than 2 million Indonesians on the waiting list.

The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration barred the 177 Indonesians -- and 10 Malaysians, according to Inquirer.net -- from boarding the flight to the Saudi capital Medina at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The Bureau’s commissioner, Jaime Morente, was quoted by local media as saying that the 177 pilgrims were unable to speak Tagalog or any local dialect and allegedly admitted they were not Filipinos upon being confronted.

Morente said all of the Indonesians were carrying genuine Philippine passports believed to have been acquired through “fraudulent means” in exchange for $6,000-10,000 each.

Philstar reported that the commissioner ordered that the filing of immigration violations against the Indonesians, while their five Filipino escorts were placed in custody amid further investigation.

Due to the Hajj waitlist, some Indonesians have sought alternatives to registering for the Muslim pilgrimage from the archipelago.

Residents of the province of South Sulawesi experience the longest queue of up to 32 years, and in June 2105, police arrested a syndicate that allegedly provided fake Philippine passports for 80 million rupiah ($6,080).

According to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, Saudi Arabia’s Hajj quota for the Philippines -- home to more than 5 million Muslims -- is currently set at 8,000 pilgrims.

The director-general of Hajj and Umrah for Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Ministry told Anadolu Agency on Saturday that despite the long wait periods, it was not justifiable for Indonesians to seek to embark on pilgrimage through other countries.

"Hajj is worship. No need for scheming. There should not be a lie," said Abdul Jamil.