Human trafficking victim admits being recruited illegally

An alleged victim of human trafficking admitted that she was illegally recruited, the Bureau of Immigration at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (BI-NAIA) disclosed following its secondary inspection.

According to BI's Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), the victim, with the alias "Nina", not her real name, was referred for secondary inspection for her numerous inconsistencies during the primary inspection.

AI-PROBES said that during the primary inspection, Nina initially claimed to be bound for Hong Kong and Macau on 3 November for a four-day tour.

But during the secondary inspection, the alleged human trafficking victim immediately blurted out that she did not want to push through with her flight anymore and admitted that she was actually bound to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where she was recruited to work as a household service worker (HSW).

"Aamin po ako sa 'yo. Papunta ako sa UAE pagkatapos kong mag-tour sa Hong Kong," Nina said. "Pero ayaw ko nang tumuloy kasi kinakabahan ako. Parang may kakaiba sa biyahe ko na ito," she added.

The victim also stated that she was recruited by a Filipina whom she met on Facebook, who offered her a monthly salary of P30,000.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that Nina made the right decision, which could have saved her from exploitation abroad.

Tansingco added that they are glad that their constant reminders are reaching concerned kababayans.

Nina's case was immediately endorsed by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), which provided assistance and initiated an investigation against her recruiter.