3 trafficked persons caught masquerading as missionaries
The two victims admitted they were not affiliated with any missionary group and that they were licensed teachers who had been illegally recruited to work at a school in Thailand
NBI Director Jaime Santiago presents the trafficking victims and the alleged recruiter, warning the public to be aware of the scheme.
Photograph courtesy of nbi
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned the public on Monday about a new human trafficking syndicate scheme with those involved posing as missionaries on a church-related trip.
According to BI chief, Atty. Joel Anthony Viado, three individuals were caught recently by immigration officers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 after they attempted to leave the country posing as church missionaries.
The Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) confirmed that the three intercepted passengers were all female — aged 23, 25 and 50. They attempted to board a Scoot Airlines flight bound for Singapore with a connecting flight to Thailand.
I-PROBES stated that the three and their suspected female trafficker claimed to be full-time church volunteers assigned to a missionary mission in Thailand. However, discrepancies in their documents raised suspicion, leading to further questioning and referral for secondary inspection.
During the secondary inspection, the two victims admitted they were not affiliated with any missionary group and that they were licensed teachers who had been illegally recruited to work at a school in Thailand.
They also acknowledged being recruited by the woman they were traveling with, who claimed to be the founder and head preacher of the group.
The three explained that they had not yet been hired and were asked to bring their credentials or employment documents, such as transcripts, in case the institution decided to hire them.
Immigration officers noted that the female trafficker had recently traveled to Thailand. Upon checking her travel records, it showed she had previously left with another group of passengers, whom she claimed were also her church companions, but who had not returned to the country.
“This case is similar to the ‘Bitbit’ scheme, in which a frequent traveler pretends to be a courier and tries to transport a group of passengers while the victims are unwittingly forced into illegal labor,” Atty. Viado stated.
The victims were referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance.