De Lima seeks probe into alleged human trafficking syndicate in Naia

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Leila De Lima on Friday said she would be filing a Senate bill for the conduct of a probe  into the alleged human trafficking syndicate operating at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

De Lima was referring to the alleged human trafficking syndicate that newspaper reports claimed was being led by five “middle-level” officials of the Bureau of Immigration and nets P10 million to P50 million a day.

“This yet another exposé of a major anomaly, another scandal, warrants an immediate and serious probe. [I] will be filing soon an appropriate Senate inquiry into this matter,” De Lima said in a statement.

In seeking an inquiry, the senator said human trafficking, like drug trafficking, is an “evil scourge which bedevils modern society.”

“It victimizes many of our gullible women, including minors,” she said.

“That state actors, i.e., immigration officers, as allegedly protected by a discredited former high-ranking executive official, are the very perpetrators of this vile crime, mirrors the degeneracy of the current dispensation,” De Lima added.