A recent interception by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 brought to light a distressing tactic employed by traffickers to evade stringent inspection measures.
On August 17, BI officials successfully apprehended a female trafficking victim whose identity remains concealed in accordance with anti-trafficking regulations. The woman was intercepted as she sought to board a Philippine Airlines flight destined for Thailand. The swift intervention was carried out by the BI’s immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES).
A secondary inspection of the individual’s case exposed a web of inconsistencies in her statements. Subsequently, she admitted that she had been ensnared into a scheme to work as a domestic service provider in Lebanon.
Most alarmingly, the victim disclosed that she had been coerced by her traffickers to feign illness in order to exploit the use of a wheelchair as a means to navigate the airport’s rigorous inspection procedures.
Furthermore, she confessed to having received explicit instructions to erase all traces of communication with her recruiters from her mobile device.
According to the victim, she had been promised that if her pursuit of a Lebanon work visa encountered a roadblock, she would be diverted to Hong Kong in pursuit of alternative employment avenues.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued a stern warning against the nefarious activities of illegal recruiters and human traffickers.
“These unscrupulous operators will resort to unimaginable tactics to entice vulnerable individuals into illegal migration, as it translates into substantial gains for them,” Commissioner Tansingco cautioned.
“However, the moment these victims face adversity, these predators vanish, leaving them stranded and desperate,” he emphasized.
Prompt action was taken to ensure the victim’s welfare and initiate an investigation into her traffickers. She has been referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for support and further inquiry.
