AT least three female passengers were prevented from leaving the country after Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) intercepted them on suspicion that they could be victims of human trafficking.
The trio was intercepted by BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-Probes) personnel at the departure area of NAIA Terminal 1 while attempting to leave the country using allegedly spurious travel documents.
The passengers initially presented themselves as travelers bound for Vietnam but were found to be headed for Phnom Penh, Cambodia, based on their E-class Cambodian visas, according to I-Probes.
Immigration officers also noted discrepancies and inconsistencies in their intended destination, length of stay, and other circumstances surrounding their trip, including tampered documents.
Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado warned on Friday Filipinos seeking employment abroad to exercise caution when offered jobs overseas, particularly those involving unusually high salaries or unclear employment arrangements.
“Do not be easily lured by promises of high-paying jobs abroad, especially when the circumstances surrounding the offer are unclear. There is a risk that you could end up like other Filipinos who have fallen victim to trafficking syndicates and suffered abusive working conditions,” Viado said.
The three passengers were subsequently turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further assessment, investigation, and appropriate action, including possible proceedings against their alleged local recruiters.
Korean man denied entry
Meanwhile, BI said it denied entry to Lee Yongsoo, 31, a South Korean, after he was detected through the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) upon arrival at NAIA Terminal 3 on Sept. 29.
He was the subject of an Interpol alert over his alleged involvement in money laundering, including the alleged distribution of illicitly obtained bank accounts, with accomplices for use in laundering money in his own country.
He arrived aboard a Cebu Pacific flight from Japan. BI-APIS Operations Center (APOC) officers detected his passenger information and immediately coordinated with its Interpol Unit for verification.
After confirming the alert, APOC notified the concerned BI personnel, who subsequently denied the Korean man’s entry and turned him over to the airline for immediate return to his country of origin.
