The Bureau of Immigration will strictly implement double checking of departing passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport following repeated attempts to leave the country by underage Filipinas who want to work abroad by using fraudulently acquired travel documents.
Immigration OIC Deputy Commissioner and concurrent Port Operations Division Chief Marc Red Mariñas said that since June this year, a total 114 girls aged under 21 years were already denied travel at the Naia for passing themselves as adults.
Mariñas said that all of the apprehended passengers presented passports purportedly showing that they were adults and with valid overseas employment permits, working visas and job contracts.
“It is evident that these young women were victimized by syndicates that specialize in the procurement of documents to make it appear that they are old enough to work abroad when in fact they are not,” Mariñas said.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said that in July, the Manila Police District rescued more than 40 women, with a number of them minors, during a raid in Sta. Cruz, Manila.
They were reportedly illegally recruited from Mindanao and offered work as household service workers in Saudi Arabia.
Because of the rising attempts to leave the country, Morente ordered immigration officers at the Naia to further tighten the screening of departing Filipinos to make sure they were presenting legitimate documents.
He said 67 of the women barred from leaving confessed to being minors, contrary to what was indicated in their passports.
“We should stop these human traffickers from preying on our Filipino women through this modus operandi,” the BI chief said.
A report from the BI-Naia Travel Control and Enforcement Unit revealed that the latest apprehensions involved four girls who were intercepted last Aug. 2 while trying to board a Saudia Airlines flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The passengers allegedly admitted during the investigation they were under 21 years of age although their passports showed that they are in their late 20s.
They were later turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation.
“We warn young women not to fall prey to these human traffickers and illegal recruiters,” Morente said.
“Many promise good jobs abroad, but victims only end up cheated or abused. Make sure to deal only with legitimate recruitment agencies,” the BI chief added.
