BUREAU of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 intercepted three passengers attempting to depart for Dubai, UAE, transiting through Thailand last December 22.
The passengers, initially posing as friends from General Santos City on vacation, were revealed to be victims of human trafficking.
According to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, it was discovered during secondary inspection that the individuals did not know each other’s names and lacked return tickets to General Santos.
The victims then 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.
The incident was promptly relayed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and filing of appropriate charges against the recruiters.
