4 Naia immigration officers tied to trafficking

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has relieved four employees of their posts for being involved in a human trafficking scheme using fake immigration stamps and documents.

The four immigration officers from the BI’s Port Operations Division, who manned counters at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, helped several Filipinos fly out as tourists though they were actually leaving for jobs in countries considered high-risk for Filipino workers, like Libya and Lebanon, the bureau said.

The BI identified the sacked personnel as Nino Oliver Dato, Xander Mark Galera, Kyle Velasco, and Alperson Peralta.

BI spokesperson Tonette Mangrobang said they processed the departure of several passengers who had tourist visas without making them undergo routine immigration profiling.—JULIE M. AURELIO