Bureau of Immigration agents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport rescued seven women believed to be victims of human trafficking.
BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said the victims were intercepted at the departure area of the NAIA 3 terminal while they were about to board a Cebu Pacific Air flight to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
He said the passengers were barred from leaving after immigration officers found that the documents they presented were spurious.
“This should send a signal to these syndicates that there is no letup in our anti-trafficking campaign despite the 2019 nCoV ARD outbreak. Our departure areas remain off limits to human traffickers and their victims,” Medina said.
The virus outbreak has prompted the bureau to implement stricter screening procedures for arriving travelers as part of measures to combat the spread of the virus.
According to Ma. Timotea Barizo, BI’s travel control and enforcement unit chief, the women were caught in possession of fake Philippine Overseas Employment Administration clearances.
She said the passengers also presented fake validation forms purportedly showing that their papers were checked and cleared by Labor Assistance Center personnel at the airport.
“They admitted during interview that the bogus documents were given to them by their handlers and they were recruited via Facebook to work as domestic helpers in the UAE,” Barizo added.
The women were eventually turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation.