Immigration officers intercepted two Filipinas at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport who were illegally recruited to work in Qatar.
Immigration-Travel Control and Enforcement Unit Chief Maria Timotea Barizo said the passengers, whose names were withheld for their protection, were intercepted at the departure area of Terminal 3 when they attempted to board a Qatar Airways airplane.
Meanwhile, operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation-Dagupan District Office arrested two human traffickers in Dagupan City on Monday for exploiting women for sexual activities.
NBI Officer-In-Charge Eric Distor identified the suspects as Joseph Carrera, manager, and Gelyn Almenario, cashier, both of Citirock Spa on Arellano Street in Dagupan City.
The suspects were presented for inquest proceedings the following day before the City Prosecutor’s Office for Human Trafficking while the rescued women were turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Barizo says primary inspection officers examine the documents of all Filipino Workers before they are cleared for departure.
“The quick eye of our immigration officers in the frontlines saw that there was reason to suspect the duo upon noticing that their Overseas Employment Certificates were not encoded in our linked database with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration,” Barizo said.
The Filipinas were referred to the terminal’s POEA Labor Assistance Center to verify their documents and discovered those were falsified.
During questioning, the Filipinas victims confessed that their OEC validation forms were only given to them by their handler near the airport’s exit, and to whom they each paid P35,000 in return for the spurious document package they presented.
Barizo says falsifying OECs is futile because they have an integrated system with the POEA to check if all departing workers are properly documented.
The Filipinas were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation and assistance.