Some 23 runaways and overstayers were the most recent batch of distressed Filipinos to be repatriated by the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, bringing the running total to over 1,000 from January this year, including those flown home from Dubai via the Philippine Consulate General. Officials said around 95% of the repatriated Filipinos were victims of human traffickers in the Philippines. In light of mounting concerns about the issue President Duterte has vowed to be unforgiving to human traffickers saying during a recent launch of a coalition called, Anti-Trafficking Movement, that he “cannot imagine a human being sold to the slave market.”
