BI chief sounds alarm over surge in trafficking

BI chief sounds alarm over surge in trafficking | Daily Tribune

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Atty. Joel Anthony Viado expressed grave concerns on Sunday about the alarming rise in Filipinos being trafficked by catfishing syndicates.

In his statement, Atty. Viado revealed that within just one week, 14 victims had been stopped while attempting to travel overseas for illicit employment in known scam hotspots.

On 4 February, three victims — ages 33, 27 and 25 — were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 as they tried to board a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Thailand, marking the start of the wave of interceptions.

According to the Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), the passengers appeared to be first-time travelers to Thailand, traveling independently. However, their contradictory answers during the initial inquiry raised suspicions, prompting a referral for further inspection.

During secondary inspection, the victims admitted they had been recruited by a business process outsourcing (BPO) company to work as customer care agents in Cambodia.

On 5 February, 11 more human trafficking victims, all in their mid-20s, were stopped at NAIA Terminal 1 while attempting to board the same flight to Bangkok, Thailand.

The victims initially claimed to be students traveling to Thailand for a four-day trip, but their conflicting responses prompted further investigation. After extensive questioning, it was revealed that they had been lured to work for fake BPO companies in Pakistan, with promises of a P50,000 monthly salary. The recruiter had instructed them to hide their Pakistani visas and pretend to be vacationing students.

I-PROBES chief Mary Jane Hizon highlighted the alarming nature of these incidents, where traffickers exploit vulnerable young Filipinos. These traffickers deceive the victims with promises of legitimate jobs in reputable BPO companies before forcing them to work as catfishers in scam hubs.

The BI chief condemned the scheme, emphasizing that it places Filipinos in perilous situations where they are trapped in illegal work in unregulated businesses and subjected to deceitful practices.

In addition to efforts to file complaints against the recruiters, all intercepted victims have been referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further assistance.