BI saves 28,000 Filipinos from human trafficking in 2018

MANILA, Philippines — Over 28,000 Filipinos were prevented from leaving the country during the first 10 months of 2018 as the government intensified its campaign against human trafficking, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Wednesday.

According to the BI, of the 28,467 total passengers that were not allowed to board their flights after being found not complying with requirements, 151 passengers were minor and under-aged women bound for Saudi Arabia.

A total of 23,239 passengers were also intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) while the rest were stopped in the airports of Mactan, Clark, Iloilo, Kalibo, and Davao, the BI said.

“What we are trying to prevent here is allowing the departure of victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment,” BI Port Operations Division Chief Grifton Medina said in a statement.

“We are considered the last line of defense inside our country to protect our people,” he added.

The BI also noted that last August, four Filipinos were rescued from an alleged illegal recruiter in Clark after a German national attempted to assist their travel by allegedly instructing them to present themselves as volunteers, when their true intention was to work as caregivers in Germany.

Last November, six women were prevented from leaving after they were discovered to have presented fraudulently-acquired documents to immigration officers. They were allegedly recruited to work as nightclub entertainers in Korea.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said there will be “no letup” in the government’s campaign against human trafficking, especially during the holiday season where illegal recruiters and human traffickers “might take advantage of the influx of people” in airports.

“There will be no letup in our campaign so long as there are syndicates who continue to unlawfully send abroad our countrymen who are prone to abuse and exploitation in foreign lands,” Morente said.

“Modern-day slavery has no place in this world, and we will make sure that our kababayans are protected from this threat,” he added.

Morente noted how many Filipinos are hoodwinked by illegal recruiters by “sweet-talking” them to pretend as tourists so that they could circumvent the law.

“Many fall prey to illegal recruiters who sweet-talk their victims to pretending that they are tourists to circumvent the law. Sasabihin nila, it’s a risk, lakasan lang ng loob,'” Morente said.

“I appeal to our kababayans not to be fooled by these unscrupulous individuals,” he added. /muf