The Senate Blue Ribbon committee will investigate the alleged human trafficking using private flights at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) said to be in cahoots with some personnel of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Airport Police Department.
The human trafficking activity was disclosed by Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public services, in a privilege speech delivered before the Senate floor Wednesday night.
She related that last February 13, the PNP Aviation Security Group got information about human trafficking activity involving an aircraft with tail no. N9527E, which was set to leave the airport at 10:00 that night bound for Dubai.
After verification and confirmation of the information, it was learned that six passengers were declared although 14 people boarded the aircraft.
The senator said the airplane was operated by Cloud Nine No. 1 Leasing Company Limited, a Hong Kong-registered leasing company. Their assigned aircraft ground handler is Globan Aviation Service Corporation (GLOBAN), a local company.
According to Poe, the PNP Aviation Security Group then told aircraft inspectors of the possible operation and directed them not to sign any document not until the inspection of the aircraft and the passengers.
Around 9:15 pm, three foreign national crew boarded the plane. Two GLOBAN vans arrived. At 10:11 pm, another GLOBAN van carrying three immigration officers and three other vehicles with six foreign nationals arrived.
They were escorted by the Airport Police Department patrol vehicle.
In the flight general declaration, there were only three crew members and six passengers In the plane. But based in the information by Poe from the BI, seven passengers were in the plane’s general declaration, including – one Malaysian, Korean, Chinese, Vanuatu, and three from Saint Kitts and Nevis.