Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 rescued two Pinays trafficked to work illegally abroad.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) chief Mary Jane Hizon reported the interception of the two victims last January 27.
The duo attempted to travel to Malaysia disguised as regular tourists when they were flagged by officers.
During interview, the two admitted that they were actually bound to Malaysia after being recruited by a woman they knew as ‘Madame” to work as cleaners in a hotel.
Their recruiter allegedly advised them to work as tourists while they are applying for work visas in the said country.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said that the’ tourist worker scheme’ is often abused by recruiters, tricking Filipinos to agree to such set-ups.
She said that in the scheme, workers are made to work under a tourist visa, but end up unable to secure work visas. This places them in a vulnerable position, and their employers are able to make them agree to otherwise unacceptable conditions.
The BI warned aspiring overseas workers not to fall prey to such schemes.
The victims were turned over to the inter-agency council against trafficking (IACAT) for filing of cases against their recruiters.
