AT least 29 Filipino women were rescued after being forced to work in two bars in Sarawak, Malaysia, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
The women were victims of a human trafficking syndicate and were brought to the town of Bintulu in the Malaysian state of Sarawak to work as bar girls, the department said.
The DFA said three Filipinos who served as agents and caretakers of the women were arrested by the Malaysian police who conducted the raid at the Republic and Kiss Kiss Bars.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency warned against Filipinos wanting to work in Malaysia by entering as tourists, and promised to convert them to employment visas in exchange for payment.
“We remind Filipinos to be vigilant and not to deal with unlicensed individuals or purported placement agencies, especially online, as they could end up being trafficked,” it said.
“We thank the Bintulu branch of the Royal Malaysian Police [RMP] for their swift action to provide assistance and rescue of the trafficked Filipinas,” Philippine Ambassador Eduardo Malaya said.
The rescue was made possible through the coordination of Embassy Police Attache Pablo Labra II and Assistance to Nationals officer Ariel Esparto with Sarawak authorities.
The rescued Filipinas will be transferred to the Women’s Shelter Home in Kota Kinabalu after the court’s approval of its application for temporary protection.
Overseas Filipino workers should verify the job offer and the agency offering the said job with the POEA in Manila or the Embassy’s Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) before making travel plans, it said.
“Proper employment visas from by the Malaysian Embassy in Manila and work permits approved by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) in Manila are needed by any Filipino entering Malaysia for work,” the embassy stated.