Three Filipino women believed to be victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking were intercepted by immigration officers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 on Saturday, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed on 19 June.

In an official statement, the BI said the women, all in their early 30s, were scheduled to board a Vietnam Airlines flight to Hanoi when they were flagged for secondary inspection by immigration personnel.

“The group’s actual destination was revealed to be Bulgaria, where they were allegedly recruited to work as chambermaids and domestic workers,” the statement read.

One of the women admitted she had applied for the job through a Facebook post and had been in communication with a recruiter online. She was reportedly offered a monthly salary of 1,800 Bulgarian Lev, approximately PHP 58,000, and had undergone an online interview with a supposed employer.

Authorities learned that the women intended to process their Bulgarian visas in Vietnam. As part of the scheme, they were instructed to pose as tourists and conceal their employment documents in their checked-in baggage. They were also told to delete any messages or contact details related to the recruitment before departure.