BI agents’ role in human trafficking angers DOJ chief

The continued involvement of corrupt agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) in the illegal deployment of young Filipino women to Syria has “angered” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra. “I’m not only disappointed. I’m angered,” Guevarra said on Friday when asked for his comments on the alleged role of erring immigration officials in human trafficking. “Taking advantage of another person’s desperate need and vulnerability, and dehumanizing him or her like an object of commerce, are utterly abominable,” he told the Inquirer. He said the fight against human trafficking would remain a major program of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which has administrative supervision over the BI. —Marlon Ramos