Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco ordered an investigation on the attempt of three human trafficking victims to depart illegally.
The directive comes after his office received a report on a human trafficking incident that occurred last November 6 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.
The victims consisted of two females and one male who attempted to board separate flights for Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore.
“We received a copy of a report that the three were intercepted by security guards and airport police early Sunday morning,” said Tansingco. “The trio reportedly used fake airport access passes to be able to enter the boarding gates,” he added.
The report stated that the victims presented identification cards showing that they were employees of various establishments located inside the airport premises. However, upon closer inspection by airport authorities, it was found out that the IDs were fake.
Using the fake passes, the victims attempted to evade immigration inspection by passing through the employees’ entrance. Upon verification, it was later found out that their passports and boarding passes contained fake immigration stamps.
“One of the victims admitted that they were actually bound for Lebanon to work there without the required documentation. This is a clear case of human trafficking, and is very alarming considering that they are trying to use these schemes to try to evade strict immigration inspection,” said Tansingco.
BI orders probe on human trafficking attempt of 3 victims
It can be recalled that in 2014, a similar incident occurred when officers intercepted four trafficking victims who attempted to enter using the employees’ entrance.
Meanwhile, Tansingco also announced the deportation of 17 Chinese nationals afternoon of November 16.
The group boarded a Philippine Airlines flight to Wuhan, China and is the third batch of illegal online gambling-related deportations.
It can be recalled that in October, the BI deported six Chinese nationals, while 21 others were deported last November 2.
The 17 is part of the more than 300 foreign nationals, mostly Chinese citizens, set to be deported by the BI after being arrested by local law enforcement agencies for involvement in illegal online gambling.
According to Tansingco, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla is closely monitoring the implementation of the deportations. He added that they are regularly submitting reports on the status of the rest of the deportees to the DOJ.
Those deported are automatically included in the BI’s blacklist, effectively barring them from returning to the Philippines.
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