The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday reported that its operatives have intercepted a female passenger at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 believed to be a victim of human trafficking.
BI commissioner Norman Tansingco disclosed that the female passenger was apprehended on 21 June as she allegedly fell prey to deceptive recruitment techniques that offer lucrative positions in Lebanon.
In a report given by the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), the 57-year-old female victim was stopped from departing the country before she could board her flight via Philippine Airlines bound for Bangkok, Thailand.
As per the findings of the secondary inspection by the I-PROBES officer, the victim initially professed to be a tourist visiting a relative in Thailand, but thereafter admitted that her actual destination was in Lebanon.
Eventually, she admitted that the travel documents she presented were fake and that the recruiter — with whom she had only spoken via Facebook Messenger — had provided them.
During the secondary inspection, she also admitted that her recruiter had given her instructions to pose as a tourist in order to deceive the immigration officer.
Based on her record, the agency also found out that the female victim had previously worked as an overseas Filipino worker in Lebanon, and she desired to return to work through unlawful means.
The victim was turned over to the IACAT for further investigation and the filing of a criminal case against her recruiter.
“We urge Filipinos not to accept job offers in Lebanon due to increased risks to their safety and well-being,” Tansingco said.
“Do not pursue employment possibilities in Lebanon since they may expose you to risky working circumstances. ‘Your safety is more important,’” he added.
The BI chief also reminded the public that the national government has been carrying out a series of repatriations of Filipino nationals in Lebanon, as the Department of Foreign Affairs previously reported a total of 273 distressed Filipino nationals repatriated since the Philippine government raised Alert Level 3 in the country in 2023.
