The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Saturday that they intercepted three human trafficking victims at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, who were attempting to depart on a Jetstar flight to Singapore.
The three female victims, aged 46, 31, and 51, initially claimed to be high school friends going on vacation. However, their inconsistent statements raised suspicion among immigration officers, leading to their referral for secondary inspection.
During the inspection, officials discovered a suspicious substance on a passport page, indicating tampering. Subsequently, it was revealed that their employment visas for Malta had been illegally detached from their passports.
This method of removing visas from passport pages to evade immigration checks is commonly employed by large human trafficking syndicates, who use specialized chemicals for this purpose, according to BI Commissioner Tansingco.
Tansingco emphasized that these actions were not the work of small-time recruiters but were orchestrated by major syndicates, which deceive individuals with false promises. The victims had initiated their application process in 2017 and paid nearly half a million pesos for their visas.
The victims received their documentation at a restaurant in Baclaran on the same morning of their attempted departure. They were instructed to pose as tourists traveling to Singapore while awaiting their tickets to Malta, where they were promised employment as room attendants in a European hotel.
The case has been forwarded to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for the filing of charges against their recruiter. BI Commissioner Tansingco emphasized that this incident is a clear case of human trafficking and serves as a reminder of the ongoing battle against such activities. He urged the public not to fall prey to the false promises of trafficking syndicates in their pursuit of overseas employment.
