The Bureau of Immigration (BI) thwarted a human trafficking attempt on Christmas morning at Clark International Airport (CIA), intercepting a suspected trafficker and four alleged victims.

Mary Jane Hizon, chief of the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), disclosed that an immigration officer flagged the group while they attempted to board a Cebu Pacific flight bound for Singapore.

The victims, all in their 20s, initially claimed they were traveling alone. However, upon further questioning, they admitted to being accompanied by a 38-year-old female escort.

The victims revealed they had been recruited by an Indonesian woman who promised them jobs as encoders in a POGO-like company in Cambodia, with a monthly salary of P60,000. The recruiter had instructed the escort to help the group enter Singapore, where they would then travel onward to Cambodia.

BI Commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado highlighted the risks associated with such trafficking schemes, noting that many victims of illegal recruitment end up working in scam hubs. These victims are often coerced into becoming “catfishers” — scammers who assume fake identities to deceive targets into transferring money or making bogus investments.

“Trafficking victims are often misled with false promises of legitimate jobs overseas, only to find themselves forced into illegal activities. We’ve seen too many lives destroyed by these syndicates. Don’t let this happen to you,” Viado said.

The Bureau reiterated its warning to the public against offers of unlawful employment abroad, emphasizing the importance of verifying job offers and recruitment processes to avoid falling prey to such schemes.

For further investigation, the BI turned over the four victims and their escort to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking. Authorities are pursuing legal action against the recruiters to dismantle the trafficking network.

The BI continues to strengthen its measures against human trafficking, particularly during the holiday season when such crimes are known to spike, taking advantage of heightened travel activity.