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Airport employee nabbed for escorting 2 Filipino 'trafficking victims' -- BI

Philippines | National

Airport employee nabbed for escorting 2 Filipino 'trafficking victims' -- BI

By Jeffrey Damicog

An airport employee was caught at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) escorting two Filipino human trafficking victims last Dec. 22, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Wednesday, Dec. 27.

“Immigration supervisors promptly intervened, signaling that such actions were unauthorized and against protocol,” BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.

However, Tansingco did not identify the airport employee or if charges have been filed against him or her. The "trafficking victims" were neither identified.

He reminded that airport immigration areas are strictly off-limits to unauthorized personnel, especially those providing VIP treatment to trafficking victims.

He said the incident has been relayed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) ) “for further investigation and filing of appropriate charges against the recruiters.”

BI said the two Filipinos were intercepted last Dec. 22 at the NAIA Terminal 3 before they could board a flight to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) that was transiting through Thailand.

“The passengers initially posed as friends from General Santos City on vacation," it said.

During secondary inspection, the bureau disclosed that immigration officers found that “the individuals did not know each other's names and lacked return tickets to General Santos.”

“The victims then confessed to being recruited as household service workers in Dubai through Facebook, with no knowledge of their transit arrangements to the UAE,” it also said.

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Bureau of Immigration

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