A vlogger is currently under investigation for illegal recruitment.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that the case of two female victims have been referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation and filing cases against the recruiters.
The case stemmed from the interception of the victims last November 2, after attempting to travel to Sri Lanka on board a Jetstar Asia flight via Singapore.
One of the victims stated that she was referred to her recruiter by a Facebook vlogger, who contacted her after she posted a comment on her video.
Both victims were recruited by a female based in Sri Lanka, who charged more than Php 50,000 each for the recruitment package.
The recruiter promised them employment in Sri Lanka as household service workers or call center agents upon arrival.
Both the recruiter and the vlogger are being investigated on by the IACAT for their involvement in the recruitment.
Also read: Int’l travelers should check-in at least 3 hours before flight
Use of E-gates for arriving post-Undas urged
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said that it is encouraging arriving Filipinos post-Undas to utilize the airport’s electronic gates.
The E-Gates, according to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, can lessen processing time from the usual 45 seconds to as low as eight seconds.
Tansingco said that they are prioritizing automating all BI services, prioritizing their operations at the airports. Currently, a total of 21 e-gates are distributed in major international airports nationwide.
Data shows that on the last day of October, a total of 32,045 passengers arrived, but only 5,210 utilized the E-Gates.
“Departures significantly increased before Undas, and we project that arrivals will rise in the next few days after the long holiday,” said Tansingco.
The BI recorded a total of 32,352 departures on October 31, and sees that this could rise up to 35,000 in the next few days.
Tansingco shared that upon approval of the BI’s budget, they are planning to increase efficiency by adding more E-Gates, and plans to replace 50% of their manual operations by 2026.
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