Operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested three women at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 for allegedly using falsified documents to travel to Hong Kong for work in Cambodia.
The NBI-International Airport Investigation Division identified the women as Rhea Angelica Borda, Nora Tafalla and Baby Rhea Urbano Margarico.
Reports said that they were intercepted on 20 August after authorities determined their Overseas Employment Contracts were fake.
Borda and Tafalla were stopped at the boarding gates by the Border Control and Intelligence Unit, while Margarico was flagged during a routine inspection by immigration officers.
According to the NBI, the women were recruited through a social media platform for jobs as customer service representatives in Cambodia.
Investigators found that Immigration Officer Mohammad Rashid Madale Alonto, who is currently at large, initially cleared the women for departure.
Their boarding passes had stamps linked to Alonto, and the women said he facilitated their clearance.
The women were charged with falsification under the Revised Penal Code.
Alonto, on the other hand, is facing charges under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.