A Filipina who posed as a tourist with "fake travel documents" was stopped from boarding her flight to Hong Kong last Dec. 9 by immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
Her name was withheld by the BI which said that she was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation.
It was found that she had been illegally recruited by a woman whom she only met at a bar three months ago, the BI said in a statement issued on Thursday, Dec. 14.
“We vehemently condemn the despicable acts of human traffickers and illegal recruiters who exploit the vulnerable,” Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.
“We call on the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activities to help us in our collective efforts against these criminal enterprises," Tansingco urged the public.
The BI said the intercepted Filipina "initially claimed to be traveling to Hong Kong for a self-funded vacation, but the claim was later refuted as secondary inspectors discovered that the documents she presented are not real."
She eventually disclosed that she "had been recruited by a female she met at a bar three months ago,” the BI said.
“The victim eventually admitted that her recruiter only sent her travel documents the night before her flight and that she could not contact her anymore,” it also said.
“According to the victim’s account, she was supposedly headed to work as a club freelancer while using Malaysia and Singapore to exit and enter Hong Kong to renew her visa,” it added.