BI halts trafficker escorting 8 victims to Israel

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) thwarted a human trafficker's attempt to transport eight suspected victims who were illegally recruited to work in Israel, despite the ongoing crisis in the region.

The BI's Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) reported that an alleged female trafficker attempted to depart with the victims via an Emirates Airlines flight at Clark International Airport (CIA) Terminal 2 in the guise of a pilgrimage to the said country.

Eventually, the eight victims admitted that they were originally offered a monthly salary of P60,000 to P80,000 if they worked as hospital and hotel cleaners when they arrived in Israel.

Last year, it can be recalled that the country placed Israel under crisis alert level 2, wherein only returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with existing employment contracts are allowed to go back to their destination and resume their employment.

The victims were allegedly enticed to work under such circumstances by the recruiter, who also worked as a travel agent. One of the eight victims recounted how their agent promised that they would be employed “in a safer part of Israel".

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco blasted the scheme and said that the recruiter should be put behind bars for putting her victims in harm’s way.

“All for money, this recruiter has made her victims agree to such circumstances despite the major life risk,” said Tansingco. “She should face what she did in court and must be jailed to serve as an example not to prey on the vulnerabilities of our fellow Filipinos,” the BI chief added.

The nine passengers were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for processing. As for the trafficker, she will face legal actions while the eight victims will receive assistance.