Bureau of Immigration (BI) operatives at the Davao International Airport reported rescuing a suspected human trafficking victim bound for the United Arab Emirates.
The female victim, identified only as alias “Nina,” was intercepted along with her escort as they were boarding a flight to Singapore Saturday, April 27.
Alias Nina claimed to be traveling to Singapore as a tourist with her employer, but later admitted that she was recruited to work as a household service worker in the United Arab Emirates for an undisclosed amount.
She stated that her male companion instructed her to state that she is traveling abroad as his personal house helper for a short vacation.
Upon verification of the man’s records, it was found that he has previously sponsored the trip with another woman, who failed to return on her declared return date.
He admitted that he previously escorted another female victim, who left for Singapore but transferred to Thailand.
The BI’s immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) said that they suspect that the man was recruiting Filipinos to work in the Middle East but leave his victims stranded.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco warned the public against the said scheme, saying that rescue or repatriation becomes a challenge when the Philippine government has no record of a worker’s whereabouts.
“These traffickers dupe victims into agreeing to such schemes, only to leave them penniless in the middle of an unfamiliar foreign country. Aspiring workers should never ever agree to such arrangements,” he said.
Both the victim and the escort were turned over to the interagency council against trafficking. The male escort faces charges of human trafficking for the incident.
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #Bureauofimmigration #ImmigrationPh #BIph #HumanTrafficking