The Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado has expressed his concern over reports that many Filipinos, including victims of human trafficking, have been leaving the country illegally.
Viado proposed to lawmakers that they consider imposing legal sanctions against Filipinos who depart the country without proper documentation.
“The country has no specific law penalizing illegal departures. Cases may fall under related violations such as falsification of public documents or tampering under the Philippine Passport Act,” Viado said in a news release.
“But criminalizing illegal exits would serve as a strong deterrent to traffickers and would make victims think twice in accepting such offers,” he added.
The suggestion comes after reports that 54 Filipinos who were repatriated from Myanmar could have left the country through illegal exit points, a practice known as “backdoor” exit.
Viado called for tighter monitoring of the southern borders, where traffickers have been using small boats to secretly transport victims abroad. The commissioner emphasized the need for the Philippines to strengthen border controls as part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s initiative to secure the country’s borders.
The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) has also previously conducted a study focused on illegal exits and the smuggling of migrants by sea. The council has recommended that local government units (LGUs) and local law enforcement agencies (LEAs) increase surveillance in areas of concern to help catch traffickers before they can exploit more victims.
“I think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Viado, referring to the illegal exits and trafficking activities that continue to be a problem. “We have long been raising this concern, and it’s about time that this be acknowledged and addressed, to prevent more kababayans from being victimized by this syndicate,” he added.
