Seven Filipinas bound to the UAE were barred from leaving the country after the Immigration officers suspected the ladies to be victims of human trafficking.
Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente stated that all seven women who were supposed to head to Dubai had been intercepted at the immigration departure area at Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
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Officials learned that three of the women were allegedly hired as caregivers, while the other four women were sales and marketing agents for an interior design company, as per reports from the Manila Standard.
“Verification made on the overseas employment certificates (OECs) they presented revealed that some of them are not in the records of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), while the others appear to have been issued to other persons,” said BI-TCEU Chief Ma. Timotea Barizo, who revealed that the women attempted to pose as first-time OFWs.
When BI checked each Filipina’s UAE visa, it was found that they were holding visas for tourists, and not for employment.
All women have been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigations.
