The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported the rescue of ten females, who attempted to depart illegally for Singapore as sex workers.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco shared that the ten women, all aged 20s to early 30s, were intercepted on Friday afternoon, after attempting to depart via a Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore.
“We received information earlier this month from the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) that these women were being trafficked abroad, and were recruited as entertainers, but will end up as sex workers,” said Tansingco.
Tansingco said that upon receipt of the information, they immediately included the group in their monitoring records to be able to intercept them.
Tansingco shared that after including the information from IACAT on their records, they also received information from the Office of Senator Risa Hontiveros on the women, further validating their doubts on their actual purpose of travel.
The women claimed that they were traveling as tourists with friends. However, closer inspection of their records revealed valid working permits as entertainers in Singapore.
10 female sex workers rescued from trafficking abroad – BI
They were allegedly recruited separately online through Facebook messenger to work in a pub in Singapore. They were offered a salary of P40,000 per month, with deduction of their travel expenses for six months.
“This is a clear example of debt bondage—a tactic in trafficking—wherein they are made to pay the expenses for the recruitment,” said Tansingco. “These expenses pile up, and they end up being forced to work to pay their debt,” he added.
Tansingco then hailed the role of coordination of different government agencies in the interception. “A multi-agency approach is needed in the fight against trafficking,” said Tansingco. “Coordination with government agencies in gathering information and intercepting trafficking victims is necessary for us to be able to stop this illegal activity,” he added.
The victims were turned over to the IACAT for assistance in filing cases against their recruiters.
Meanwhile, Tansingco warned traffickers not to exploit international events of trafficking victims. He shared that events such as sports competitions, gaming competitions, and concerts may be used by traffickers to attempt to circumvent strict departure formalities.
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