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Friday, March 29, 2024

Cebu airport to close for int’l flights on May 14-15

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The Mactan-Cebu International Airport will temporarily stop accepting international flights for two days for lack of quarantine rooms for arriving overseas Filipino workers and other returning Filipinos, the governor of Cebu said on Thursday.

“As of last night, we were facing a crisis. Why? Because the 2,500 rooms that were made available for OFWs and ROFs were already nearing full capacity,” Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia said in a briefing at the capitol.

“And for that reason, the MCIAA has declared that they will close tomorrow for two days, May 14 and May 15. Flights have already been canceled,” she added.

The decision was arrived at in an emergency meeting Thursday morning among the airport authority, regional directors from a number of government agencies, and the Hotels and Resorts Association of Cebu.

Meanwhile, immigration authorities intercepted an underage overseas Filipino worker (OFW) bound for the Middle East at the Clark International Airport (CIA).

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BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said traffickers of underage OFW are still in business, despite the ongoing investigations as pushed by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.

“These criminals are not stopping their illegal business despite being exposed and even during the time of pandemic. They are out to exploit the vulnerabilities of our children for their greed,” Morente said.

The victim, whose name was not divulged following anti-trafficking laws, initially claimed she was 27 years old, and is traveling to work as a domestic helper in Saudi Arabia.

However, primary inspection officer Gus Abergas noted inconsistencies in her statement and referred her for secondary inspection to the BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU).

She claimed to be 27 but stated that her older brother is 23. When further asked, it was confirmed that she was only 21 years old, and a certain “Munalisa” instructed her not to reveal her true age.

The minimum age to work as domestic workers in the Middle East is 23.

The BI also said the victim’s birth certificates also had discrepancies, as these showed that she was already 30 years old.

“This is a clear case of human trafficking of an underage OFW, preying on their needs and providing them documents through fraudulent means,” said Morente. 

“We warn on our kababayan not to fall prey for these illegal schemes,” he added.

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