Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco has called for heightened vigilance in Philippine waters due to reports of human trafficking victims utilizing the southern backdoor.
Tansingco expressed concern over traffickers using small boats to smuggle victims through informal ports and evade immigration inspections.
He cited cases of repatriated victims from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar who had fallen prey to trafficking networks using the Sulu and Tawi-tawi backdoor route.
One incident involved four individuals allegedly trafficked to Cambodia via Malaysia. The victims were promised of high-paying jobs as customer service representatives.
The victims, however, allegedly faced abuse and extortion.
Tansingco urged local law enforcement agencies to investigate other potential exit points exploited by traffickers and requested local governments to strengthen security in those areas.
He emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach against trafficking, starting with community awareness to deter individuals from falling victim to these criminal networks.
The BI has raised this information to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation.