Three more Filipino victims of the human trafficking syndicate were repatriated from Myanmar, according to the Bureau of Immigration.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the three victims, in their 20s and early 30s, arrived from Myanmar on board a Singapore airlines flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The three victims departed last April 2023 disguised as tourists bound for Singapore.
However, they admitted that they were recruited online to work in a call center in Thailand, only to end up being shipped to Yangon, Myanmar to work in a pseudo-call center involved in scam operations.
“One of the victims was even an online influencer, with more than 10 thousand subscribers,” Tansingco said.
He reiterated his warning to aspiring overseas workers not to agree to work abroad by posing as tourists.
“Leaving as tourists makes you more vulnerable, and we have received reports of victims being physically abused by these traffickers. If you wish to work abroad, do so legally, through the Department of Migrant Workers,” he added.
The three victims were assisted by the NAIA Task Force against Trafficking, the National Bureau of Investigation, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Migrant Workers.