The Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers rescued a female victim who was being escorted out of the country by a human trafficker.

According to the bureau, the victim, alias Nina, was rescued at the Davao International Airport (DIA) after attempting to depart the country via a Scoot Airlines flight bound for Singapore on Saturday afternoon.

Alias Nina initially stated that she was going to Singapore as a tourist with her employer, but she later admitted that she had been hired as a household service worker in the United Arab Emirates with an undisclosed amount of salary.

She also stated that her male partner instructed her to portray herself as a temporary domestic worker while pretending to go on a brief trip abroad.

Upon verification, records revealed that the male passenger had previously sponsored the trip of 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 was transferred to Thailand.

The man is allegedly leaving his victims stranded while he recruits Filipinos to work in the Middle East, according to the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES).

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco cautioned the public regarding the mentioned scheme, emphasizing that if the Philippine government encounters challenges in finding a Filipino worker overseas during rescue or repatriation efforts.

“These traffickers dupe victims into agreeing to such schemes, only to leave them penniless in the middle of an unfamiliar foreign country,” said Tansingco. “Aspiring workers should never ever agree to such arrangements,” he added.

Both the victim and the escort were turned over to the Interagency Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). In this case, the male escort will face human trafficking charges.

“We thank the IACAT for actively pursuing cases against these traffickers,” said Tansingco. “It makes our job meaningful because we know that these escorts have finally been put behind bars,” the BI chief added.