The Bureau of Immigration (BI) discovered that some bogus recruitment agencies were advising underage Filipino women to wear dark lipstick to conceal their real age.
Most of these overseas Filipino workers are bound for the Middle East to work as household service workers.
In one such case, BI officers at the Clark International Airport (CIA) intercepted three OFWs for misrepresenting their age last June 13.
According to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, the trio, all females hailing from Cotabato, attempted to depart for Doha, Qatar to work as household service workers.
During an inspection by immigration officers, all claimed to be 28 or 29 years old, and presented documentation showing their assumed age.
However, further interview revealed that the trio was giving fictitious personal details including their age.
“The later confirmed that they misrepresented their age to be able to work as household service workers abroad,” said Morente. “They admitted that they are only in their early 20s, and were given instructions by their recruiter to wear dark lipstick to make themselves appear older than they really are,” he added.
“They were told by their recruiter not to fall in line with older passengers so as not to stand out, and were instructed to never admit their real age,” said Morente.
“This is a clear case of human trafficking wherein unscrupulous individuals would victimize young women for personal gain,” he added.
The three were referred to the CIA Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and assistance in filing charges against their recruiters.
