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Friday, March 29, 2024

BI officials foil human trafficking try at NAIA

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Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport foiled an attempt by human trafficking syndicates to spirit seven of their victims out of the country amid the upsurge of passengers going in and out of the country for the Undas break.

BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said two of the seven trafficking victims were intercepted at NAIA’s Terminal 3 as they were about to board a flight to Hong Kong enroute to their final destination in the United Arab Emirates where they were hired as household service workers.

Medina said that five other victims were intercepted before they could board their flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where they would stay prior to their illegal deployment as factory workers in Poland.

“These syndicates are mistaken if they thought they could succeed in bringing their victims out of the country while our immigration officers are very busy servicing thousands of passengers who are vacationing here and abroad during the Undas break. We were prepared for them, hence these interceptions,” Medina said.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente has earlier ordered all BI port personnel to double their vigilance due to intelligence reports that human trafficking syndicates would take advantage of the holidays to send their victims abroad.

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“As usual, the victims were either caught with spurious documents or were hired by illegal recruiters,” said Ma. Bernadette Catipay, head supervisor of the BI’s travel control and enforcement unit at NAIA 3.

The two Hong Kong-bound passengers were caught in possession of fake overseas employment certificates and labor assistance center clearances which they presented to make it appear that they are legitimate overseas contract workers.

On the other hand, the Poland-bound factory workers were allegedly hired by a recruitment agency which was already suspended by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration for violating the latter’s ruels and regulations.

All seven passengers were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation and assistance in filing appropriate charges against their recruiters.

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