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Trafficking of Filipino workers to Albania 'on the rise' -- BI

Philippines | National

Trafficking of Filipino workers to Albania 'on the rise' -- BI

By Jeffrey Damicog

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) expressed deep concern on the rising number of Filipinos being trafficked to Albania.

The BI said that last June 28 three Filipinos were intercepted by immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 and prevented from boarding their flight to Malaysia.

They claimed to be tourists but later admitted that they were promised work in Albania as housekeeping attendant, factory worker, and waiter, it said.

It added that the three intercepted Filipinos claimed they paid between ₱34,000 to ₱74,000 to recruiters they had contacted through Facebook Messenger.

After sending the payments, the BI said the alleged recruiters blocked the three Filipinos online and left them without further instructions or valid documentation.

“We are now seeing a noticeable rise in illegal departures bound for Albania, and these are not isolated case,” BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said in a statement.

Viado said the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) has been informed so that more efforts will be made in running after illegal recruiters.

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