9 arrested over falsification of training certificates for seamen

Government agents have arrested nine people who were believed to be part of a group involved in the falsification of training certificate for aspiring seafarers.

The nine were arrested based on a complaint filed by Mariners Polytechnic Training Center (MPTC), a training school for seafarers located on Kalaw Street in Manila, a report on GMA News' “24 Oras” said on Monday.

According to the report, the group sells fake training certificates to aspiring seamen for at least P5,000 using MPTC's name.

Holders of the fake certificate don't have to undergo an eight-day training in order to become a certified seaman, the report said.

“Ang claim ng mga respondents, mayroon daw silang kilala from the government,” said Merly Jimenez-San Pedro of MPTC in the report.

Of the nine arrested individuals, only one — Agapito Junio — was identified. They will be charged with falsification of commercial documents.

The report said based on the investigation conducted by the Questioned Documents Division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), there is a big difference between the fake training certificate and the authentic one, especially on the type of paper used and on how the document is printed.

The NBI, meanwhile, appealed to aspiring seafarers not to resort to fixers in securing their documents.

“Hangga't maaari, huwag silang makipag-usap sa labas ng opisina,” said lawyer Cesar Bacani, chief of the NBI Anti-Fraud and Action Division, in the same report. — KBK, GMA News

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