Four Filipinas have returned to the Philippines from Malaysia where they were trafficked as sex workers, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Thursday, Oct. 30.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado said the four Filipinas, whose names were not disclosed, arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last Oct. 22.

“We thank the swift and decisive efforts of the MWO (Migrant Workers Office) in Malaysia, under the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), for assistance in the repatriation process,” Viado said.

Viado said that records from the BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) show that none of the four victims had official departure records.

He said the victims revealed that they actually left the Philippines by taking a small boat from Tawi-Tawi bound for Malaysia.

The victims recounted their passports were allegedly stamped with fake Philippine departure marks in Malaysia before they traveled by land to Labuan, Malaysia where they worked for two weeks at a local KTV bar and, later, transferred to Johor Bahru where they were exploited in a spa establishment, he also said.

Viado also said that forensic examinations confirmed that the victims’ passports bore counterfeit BI departure stamps.

“This is the grim reality for improperly documented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) -- they are shuffled around and compelled to endure exploitative working conditions,” he said.

He added that the four women later managed to escape from their employer and sought the assistance of the Philippine Embassy

Meanwhile, Viado said the identities of the recruiters of the victims have been reported to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and are now being investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).