by Marje Pelayo, 9 Nov 2020
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Sunday (November 8) warned Filipinos departing the country to be vigilant against human traffickers who take advantage of the recent easing of travel restrictions.
“We are warning our kababayan not to fall prey to the schemes of these syndicates as they will only put you in harm’s way and expose you to possible abuse,” said BI Commissioner Jaime Morente.
Morente assured that all immigration officers are on guard against these criminals who are preying on innocent Filipinos and sending them illegally abroad.
“Our officers at the airports have been ordered to thwart any attempts by these trafficking syndicates to send their victims abroad in the guise of being tourists,” the BI chief said.
“We will not allow them to board their flights and they will be sent home,” he added.
Morente said that with the lifting of restrictions on non-essential overseas travel by Filipinos, immigration officers were instructed to be extra vigilant in screening departing passengers and to refer for secondary inspection those with suspicious purposes for going abroad.
Likewise, Filipinos intending to work abroad were cautioned against using fake travel documents and misdeclaring the purpose of their travel.
“Aside from passports and work visas, departing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) must have an overseas employment certificate (OEC) from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) which they have to present to our officers at the airport,” he advised traveling Filipinos.
According to Atty. Candy Tan, BI port operations division chief, even prior to the easing of travel restrictions on outbound non-essential travel by Filipinos, BI officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) already intercepted scores of passengers who claimed to be OFWs but were caught with bogus travel papers, including fake visas and OECs and tampered passports.
Commissioner Morente warned that traffickers are taking advantage of the pandemic as many Filipinos are in need of a decent job in this time of crisis.
“These times of uncertainty could be abused by human traffickers, who will promise greener pastures to our kababayan,” he said.
“Do not fall for their schemes,” he warned.
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