12 trafficked OFW stopped at NAIA

Two of the workers were underaged and misrepresented their ages in their travel and work documents.

Immigration chief Jaime Morente commended Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for rescuing 12 suspected human trafficking victims.

On Thursday, Morente revealed that BI-NAIA officers were able to bar the departure of the alleged victims as tourists.

BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina disclosed the 12 passengers were intercepted last week, from 18 to 21 September. They were subsequently turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for investigation.

Medina said 10 of the victims were stopped at the NAIA Terminal 3, while the other two tried to depart via NAIA Terminal 2.

“They all carried spurious travel documents, which were given to them by their handlers,” he said.

BI travel control and enforcement unit chief Timotea Barizo shared that of the 12, two were underage overseas Filipino workers who carried complete documents but misrepresented their age.

“This is a modus that just won’t stop,” Barizo said. “These illegal recruiters keep on trying to victimize young women to illegally work abroad.”

Morente said the bureau expects the trafficking syndicates to continue with their nefarious activities due to the anticipated influx of passengers at the NAIA in the coming weeks due to the coming holiday season.

“We will not allow this to divert our attention from the task of protecting our countrymen from the hazards of working abroad without proper documents,” he explained. “There will be no letup in our campaign so long as these human traffickers continue to prey on our poor citizens.”