MANILA, Philippines — Two overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) bound for Dubai were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for presenting fake travel documents, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported.
BI Commissioner Jaume Morente said the passengers attempted to board a plane bound to Dubai on October 7.
However, the passengers presented fake company identification cards and certificates of employment under an apparel company.
“They initially told our secondary inspectors that they were sent by an apparel company to attend training as sales representatives in the UAE. However, our officers found inconsistencies in their statements,” Morente said.
The two OFWs admitted that they were not hired by an apparel company and later showed their employment contracts as household service workers (HSWs) for an employer working in the said apparel company.
“They will apparently be employed as household workers of an employee of the apparel company, and not under the company itself,” Morente said.
“We are currently in a pandemic, and it is disheartening to know that these illegal recruiters still have the audacity to take advantage of their fellows,” he added.
Morente warned illegal recruiters sending OFWs abroad.
“You are in full violation of the law and this is punishable under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act,” Morente said.
