Fil-Am Basketball Player Using Fake Passport at NAIA Detained
Immigration personnel detained a Filipino-American basketball player for allegedly using a fake passport at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
BI agents apprehended a professional basketball player at the NAIA after attempting to enter the nation with a forged Philippine passport. Avery Roberto Scharer, 36, was identified as the arrested passenger by Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco.
When Scharer arrived at NAIA Terminal 1, he was detained. Scharer was discovered to have boarded a Philippine Airlines flight from Canada after presenting his American and Philippine passports to the immigration officer at the arrival area.
However, the BI officer observed a significant variation and anomaly in the supplied Philippine passport and quickly showed it to their supervisor, who endorsed it to the bureau’s forensic documents laboratory for analysis. The forensic laboratory later provided a certification verifying that Scharer’s Philippine passport was a forgery.
“The Philippine passport he presented contained tampered pages, including the biographical data page. His attempt to conceal these alternations cannot escape the scrutiny of our inspectors. Posting false information on social media to gain sympathy despite the violation further manifests undesirability. There are no sacred cows, as any foreign national who has violated immigration laws and presented fake documentation will be arrested,” the official said.
Based on the report, Scharer was handed over to the BI legal division for inquest procedures in cases involving violations of the Philippine passport statute and the use of forged immigration credentials. He will be held at the BI detention center in Bicutan, Taguig until his case is resolved.
Scharer has previously played in university, amateur, and professional basketball leagues in the United States and Asia. Scharer was picked fifth overall in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) D-League draft by Wang’s Basketball Couriers.
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