The Bureau of Immigration (BI) intercepted three females misrepresenting themselves as government employees.
A report from the BI’s travel control and enforcement unit showed that the 3 unnamed females presented themselves for primary immigration inspection last July 9, stating that they are bound for Jeju Island, South Korea on board a Scoot airlines flight at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the trio showed travel authorities stating that they were employees of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
A travel authority for government employees is a document that allows them to travel on official business or for personal reasons, she said.
However, the three gave inconsistent statements about their work prompting officers to further verify their documents.
Sandoval said they later admitted that they bought their documents from a stall in Quiapo, Manila.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that he suspects the trio were recruited to work illegally in Korea.
“During the interview, they admitted that they paid P150K to a contact they met through Facebook to process their documents,” said Tansingco. “One of them mentioned talking to several agents for assistance,” he added.
All three travelers were found to be possible victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment. Their case was referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation.
