Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 intercepted three passengers attempting to depart for Dubai, UAE, transiting through Thailand last December 22.
The passengers, initially posing as friends from General Santos City on vacation, were revealed to be victims of human trafficking.
According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, it was discovered during secondary inspection that the individuals did not know each other’s names and lacked return tickets to General Santos.
The victims then confessed to being recruited as household service workers in Dubai through Facebook, with no knowledge of their transit arrangements to the UAE.
Tansingco further disclosed that an airport employee was seen escorting the victims to the immigration counters.
“Immigration supervisors promptly intervened, signaling that such actions were unauthorized and against protocol,” Tansingco said.
Tansingco, responding to this incident, emphasized that airport immigration areas are strictly off-limits to unauthorized personnel, especially those providing VIP treatment to trafficking victims.
The incident was promptly relayed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and filing of appropriate charges against the recruiters.
Christmas weekend arrivals skyrocket to 161K
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported that a total of 161,664 passengers arrived during the Christmas weekend.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that almost 81% of the passengers arrived via the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
Tansingco also reported that 130,497 passengers departed from December 23 to 25.
Prior to the pandemic, the BI saw an average of 55,000 daily arrivals during the month of December.
They likewise recorded an average of 47,000 departures in December 2019.
“International travel is not just on a rebound,” said Tansingco. “Figures show that the number of travelers are almost surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. It’s a cause for celebration for the tourism and international travel sectors,” he stated.
The BI Chief earlier shared that they have implemented added measures to ensure efficient processing of arriving and departing passengers during the peak season.
Last week, BI has announced the repatriation of 27 Vietnamese nationals who have been victims of human trafficking.
Based on the report to the BI, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Task Force Against Trafficking (NAIA-TFAT) referred the victims to the IACAT-Tahanan ng Inyong Pag-asa Center, following their interception at NAIA Terminal 2 last Oct. 31.
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