The Bureau of Immigration on Tuesday said it has intercepted a female victim of an illegal recruitment scheme at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The passenger, whose identity remains confidential for her protection, confessed on Dec. 9 that she had been recruited by a female she met at a bar three months ago.
She initially claimed to be traveling to Hong Kong for a self-funded vacation, but was later refuted as secondary inspectors discovered that the documents she presented are not real.
The victim eventually admitted that her recruiter only sent her travel documents the night before her flight and that she could not contact her anymore.
According to the victim’s account, she was supposedly headed to work as a club freelancer while using Malaysia and Singapore to exit and enter Hong Kong to renew her visa.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that the incident “serves as a stark reminder of the insidious nature of human trafficking and the deceptive tactics employed by illegal recruiters.”
“We vehemently condemn the despicable acts of human traffickers and illegal recruiters who exploit the vulnerable,” he further said. “We call on the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities to help us in our collective efforts against these criminal enterprises,” Tansingco added.
The passenger was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.
