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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider After intercepting 2 trafficking victims, BI vows to run after their recruiter

After intercepting 2 trafficking victims, BI vows to run after their recruiter

Published Apr 29, 2025 06:31 am

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday, April 29, vowed to run after a suspected human trafficker believed behind the illegal sending of Filipinos abroad to get work.

Bureau of Immigration.jpeg

“We are committed to securing justice for our people and protecting Filipinos from exploitation at home and abroad,” declared BI Commissioner Joel Anthony M. Viado in a statement.

Viado made the assurance after two female victims of the suspected illegal recruiter were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 last April 25 and prevented from boarding their flight to Hong Kong.

“This case has also exposed the same recruiter as the mastermind behind another group supposedly scheduled to leave for Thailand on April 29,” he also said.

“More than 20 individuals who were said to be recruited to this scheme are now under surveillance. This information has been forwarded to IACAT (Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking), and we are fully committed to dismantling this trafficking ring,” he added.

Citing a report from the BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), the BI said the two women initially claimed to be friends going to Hong Kong for a short vacation.

However, the bureau said their responses during primary inspection raised red flags, prompting a secondary inspection.

Thereafter, the BI said "the pair admitted their actual destination was Bahrain, where they had been recruited for factory work promising a monthly salary of 130 BHD, approximately ₱19,000.”

“The questioning revealed that the online trafficker had given them two envelopes -- one containing standard travel documents, and another with a Bahrain-bound airline ticket and visa application -- under the pretense of legal overseas employment,” it also said.

“The two were promptly referred to the IACAT for legal action against their recruiter,” it added.

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