JAKARTA - The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers is investigating suspected illegal recruitment and trafficking involving 24 overseas Filipino workers who returned from Russia after nearly nine months in detention, the Philippine News Agency reported on June 22. The workers were back in Manila by June 21 after Russian authorities released them.
The group arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in two batches via Bangkok, according to the Presidential Communications Office. Six were scheduled to arrive on Philippine Airlines Flight PR 737 at 12:05 a.m. on June 21, and the remaining 18 on Flight PR 733 at 4:05 a.m. the same day.
The workers had been held in Irkutsk for nearly nine months without formal charges, the PCO said. Philippine officials said the case now turns to how they reached Russia and whether recruiters or traffickers in the Philippines were involved.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raised the workers’ situation with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting in Kazan on June 17, on the sidelines of the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit. In a June 19 media briefing, Marcos quoted Putin as saying, “Don’t worry, we will find a way. We will find a way to fix this problem.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the release followed Marcos’ request to Putin. Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said most of the 24 were women, with only two men in the group, according to the Philippine Information Agency.
The DMW said it will collect statements from the returnees to determine how they entered Russia and whether illegal recruitment or human trafficking occurred. Cacdac said the department would also provide appropriate assistance after their return to Manila.
The DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said support for the returnees includes financial assistance, transport assistance, temporary accommodation, legal guidance when necessary, training, livelihood support and employment assistance.
