The Bureau of Immigration (BI) rescued two victims of human trafficking last August 17.
In a report to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, members of the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) detailed the rescue of two victims alias “Ria” and “Ina”, both in their early twenties, at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
The two victims presented themselves for primary inspection and claimed that they were officemates bound for Malaysia for a vacation. However, the officers noted numerous inconsistencies in their statements which prompted them to refer the victims for secondary inspection.
During secondary inspection, they admitted that their final destination is in Singapore, and that they were recruited to work as entertainers with a salary of Php 60,000. Both were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance in filing cases against their recruiters.
“This case led us to identifying several personalities involved in the trafficking of the two victims,” said Tansingco. “At least five names have been mentioned, and we have forwarded this information to the IACAT for investigation. We will be actively involved in pursuing this case to put an end to this trafficking ring,” stated.
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Tansingco said that the details of the case have been forwarded to the IACAT, who will then initiate a case build up, and file appropriate charges against the recruiters.
Tansingco also shared that last August 3, the BI turned over to the IACAT a female overseas Filipino worker (OFW) tagged by authorities as an alleged illegal recruiter. The recruiter attempted to fly to Congo via Singapore, but was accosted by officers after being tagged as the recruiter of two previous victims.
“We are one with the IACAT in the drive to locate and arrest these illegal recruiters,” said Tansingco. “They have been victimizing our fellow Filipinos, and preying on their vulnerabilities for their financial gain, hence they must be arrested and jailed,” he stated.
Meanwhile, BI reported the interception of a female trafficking victim last August 17 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
The victim, whose name was withheld in compliance with anti-trafficking laws, attempted to depart on board a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Thailand. However, she was intercepted by members of the BI’s immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES).
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