Some 118 rescued Filipinos who are victims of human trafficking in scam hubs in Southeast Asia await repatriation, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

According to the DFA, the embassies “are always ready to provide repatriation assistance and are closely coordinating with the authorities.”

Of the 118 Filipinos, six are in Cambodia, 75 in Myanmar, seven in Laos, and 30 in Thailand. Some 14 out of the 75 Filipinos in Myanmar are already under process for transfer.

On Wednesday, July 16, the DFA said that it continues to receive reports of Filipino human trafficking victims inside different scam centers across Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.

It promised “to persistently devote efforts and resources in extending all possible assistance to our Filipinos in distress, while requesting the authorities of the host countries for their invaluable cooperation.”

The agency also said that it has responded to some 480 assistance-to-nationals cases—304 in Thailand, 110 in Cambodia, 61 in Laos, and five in Myanmar—from Jan. 1 to July 15.

It explained that in order to rescue Filipinos from other countries, the embassies and consulates would have to coordinate with the host governments.

After reporting to the host government, it would be the task of the authorities of the host country to rescue the alleged victims before placing them in holding centers.

The Philippines’ foreign service posts would then verify the names and nationalities of the victims and provide them with travel documents as most of them had their passports stolen by their employers.

The DFA urged Filipinos abroad, including their relatives, to report information if they believe their kins are trapped in scam hubs.

“We call on all our kababayans, including our Filipino communities abroad, to support all efforts to prevent all modes of recruitment and victimization of our Filipino nationals in schemes that lead to forced criminality and participation in scamming operations,” the agency added.