The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) warned aspiring overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) against sex traffickers posing as job recruiters on social media.
DFA issued the warning after the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur repatriated 27 Filipinas on Wednesday, September 19. The Filipinas were rescued from a sex trafficking syndicate operating in Johor Bahru.
Ambassador Charles C. Jose reported to DFA that in August, Malaysian authorities raided an apartment where the Filipinas were staying following reports of sex trafficking in the area.
The Filipino caretaker of the apartment was apprehended but was later on released.
Following the rescue, the victims said they were trafficked to Malaysia and Singapore in four batches between June and July. The women added that they were recruited in the Philippines to become “promodizers” in four establishments in Singapore.
However, they discovered that the job also entails providing sexual services in exchange of commissions.
Jose added that the women were also recruited through social media.
Foreign affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano reminded OFWs to check if job posts are authorized by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) before flying abroad.
“We urge our kababayan to think twice before applying for the various job opportunities abroad that are being offered online,” Cayetano said.
“There are numerous cases of Filipino jobseekers who apply for these online job offers but end up in virtual bondage in a number of countries abroad,” he added.
