Human trafficking attempt thwarted at Naia; 4 women rescued — BI

by Daphne Galvez, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 10 Nov 2019

MANILA, Philippines — Four women were recently rescued from a human trafficking attempt at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Sunday.

BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said the victims, who were illegally recruited to work abroad, were supposed to board a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when they were intercepted at the departure area of the Naia Terminal 3.

He added that if they were to reach Malaysia, they would then proceed to Dubai where they were recruited to work as household workers and drivers.

The women, who were in their mid-30’s to early 40’s, were barred from leaving the country after it was found out that they presented fraudulent employment IDs from purportedly from a major construction company. They had initially claimed that the firm sponsored their trip to Malaysia.

“We contacted the personnel department of the company where they were purportedly employed and we were told that these women are not their employees,” BI-NAIA 3 travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) head Ma. Bernadette Catipay said.

It was also discovered that the four women were all issued working visas in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Catipay added.

The women ultimately confessed that the UAE visas as well as plane tickets to Dubai were to be given to them upon their arrival in Malaysia.

They also revealed that a female courier for the syndicate that recruited them gave them fraudulent documents at a convenience store of the Naia terminal before they entered the immigration area, the BI said.

The bureau added that all four were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking “for assistance and further investigation.” /je