An airport employee is facing criminal and administrative charges for attempting to escort three women at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 to work as household workers in Dubai.
The passengers, initially posing as friends from General Santos City on vacation, were victims of human trafficking, according to Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco.
The three were prevented from boarding their plane after immigration officers discovered that they did not know each other and also lacked return tickets.
The victims confessed to being recruited as household service workers in Dubai through Facebook, with no knowledge of their transit arrangements to the UAE.
Tansingco further disclosed that an airport employee was seen escorting the victims to the immigration counters.
“Immigration supervisors promptly intervened, signaling that such actions were unauthorized and against protocol,” Tansingco said.
Tansingco, responding to this incident, emphasized that airport immigration areas are strictly off-limits to unauthorized personnel, especially those providing VIP treatment to trafficking victims.