Three Filipinos, who were suspected to be human trafficking victims, were banned from leaving the country, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Thursday, Sept. 18.
In a statement, the BI said the three Filipinos – two women and a man – were intercepted by immigration officers at the Clark International Airport (CIA) in Pampanga last Sept. 15.
“The trio initially claimed they were tourists on a four-day trip to Malaysia but were stopped after officers identified numerous conflicting statements,” the BI said.
Later, it also said, the three Filipinos admitted they were travelling together to secure employment after one of them received a job offer from an “ex-lover.”
At the same time, the BI said that one of the three Filipinos disclosed that they were headed to Cambodia to work as customer service representatives with a promised salary of $1,000 a month.
“Their recruiter allegedly promised that the tickets and details of their employment will be given to them upon their arrival in Malaysia, and that they have to pose as tourists for their departure from the Philippines,” it also said.
The BI said the three Filipinos, whose names were not disclosed, have been turned over to Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and filing of appropriate charges against the facilitator and the recruiter.