BI stops 3 suspected victims of human trafficking at NAIA

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Wednesday that three passengers were stopped by an immigration officer on 22 December at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 as they tried to leave the country for Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) while transiting through Thailand.

BI-NAIA said that 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, during the secondary inspection, the individuals were discovered to be strangers to one another, and they did not have return tickets to General Santos.

Afterward, the victims admitted that they had no idea how they were going to go to the United Arab Emirates; they had only been hired as domestic helpers in Dubai over Facebook.

The BI chief 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," he 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.

In order to facilitate a more thorough investigation and the filing of suitable charges against the recruiters, this incident and the identity of the alleged airport employee who escorted the passengers were promptly relayed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).