Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco on Sunday, Dec. 10, lamented why Filipinos still continue to become victims of human trafficking, and end up working as victims of "love scammers" abroad despite the government's repeated warnings.

“We have warned about this syndicate as early as October last year.  It has been more than a year and yet we are still seeing victims being duped in accepting their fake offers,” a dismayed Tansingco said.

Tansingco issued a statement following the repatriation of 27 Filipinos who were forced to work in Cambodia.

“Imagine being a professional here but ending up being sold like a slave abroad,” said Tansingco.  

“These are the real stories that we have been hearing every day, yet people continue to say yes to this,” he pointed out. 

Tansingco said the 27 Filipinos arrived last Friday, Dec. 8, from Phnom Penh after being rescued by Cambodian authorities from their traffickers.

“The 27 victims recounted escaping their ordeal abroad, where they were forced to work as love scammers, targeting old men residing in the United Kingdom.  Some of them experienced abuse and torture in the workplace, and were later sold by their Chinese employers to another company,” the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.

“Luckily, Cambodian police rescued them during their transfer after being sold.  They were later assisted by the Philippine Consulate in Phnom Penh,” it said.

It also said that 12 of the 27 Filipinos, who departed illegally via boat from Zamboanga and evaded formal immigration inspection, “allegedly traveled for 11 hours from Zamboanga to Sabah, Malaysia, before transferring to Cambodia.”

It noted that a government employee was even among those repatriated who left the Philippines posing as tourists. 

“Only one departed as a documented overseas Filipino worker (OFW), but was supposedly bound for Palau and not for Cambodia,” it also said.