Twenty-one Filipino trafficking victims recently repatriated from Myanmar have shared accounts of abuse and deception, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday.
The victims arrived in Metro Manila on 25 June aboard a Cebu Pacific flight from Thailand.
One female victim recounted being coerced to cross a river into Myanmar and forced to carry out online romance scams targeting U.S. citizens, working 14 hours a day without any days off. Another male victim shared that he was forced to do duck walks and was strangled when he failed to meet quotas.
“He also reported threats of electrocution if they attempted to report the abuse,” the BI said in a statement.
Two of the repatriated Filipinos left the country as overseas Filipino workers, while 19 departed posing as tourists.
According to Immigration Commissioner Joel Viado, the BI is currently monitoring the rise in trafficking cases involving Southeast Asian syndicates.
The BI has turned over the victims’ accounts to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for investigation into the recruiters and those responsible for facilitating the victims' deployment.