Seven undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were barred from leaving the country after they attempted to depart posing as tourists, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
The seven OFWs were held by BI officers in separate occasions at the Terminal 2 and 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
According to Ma. Timotea Barizo, head of the travel control and enforcement unit, two of the passengers were intercepted at NAIA 2 last Sept. 14 as they were about to depart for Hong Kong.
The two passengers were accosted when it was found out that they were traveling with a woman who was in the BI’s alert list of suspected human traffickers involved in facilitating the deployment of undocumented workers abroad.
Four passengers were also prevented from leaving for Malta on Sept. 15 after they presented suspicious documents regarding their purpose of travel
Upon interrogation, the four passengers claimed they were supposed to attend a symposium but eventually admitted that they were hired to work as maids in Malta.
The four said they paid P500,000 to their handler for the processing of their travel documents and visas.
A Filipina bound for Istanbul was also held last Sept. 17 after she presented fraudulent overseas employment certificates, the report said.
All seven passengers were turned over to the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking in Person (NAIATFAT) for further investigation.
With the series of incidents, the BI warned the public that there’s a little chance that attempt to illegally work abroad will not be caught.
