34 Women bound for Saudi stopped

Immigration authorities at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) have rescued 34 women who they said were illegally recruited as household service workers in Saudi Arabia.

Grifton Medina, chief of the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) port operations unit, said the women were prevented from boarding a Saudi Airways flight to Riyadh on Dec 1.

Medina said the women, mostly in their 20s and 30s, were not allowed to depart after immigration officers noticed discrepancies in their travel documents.

Their visas stated that they were hired as domestic helpers but their contracts and overseas employment certificates showed they would be working as office cleaners. “Discrepancies like these are not allowed (and) put our workers at greater risk,” said Ma. Timotea Barizo, BI travel control chief. –Tina G Santos