Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) (Photo from MIAA)
MANILA, Philippines — Three female Filipino passengers who disguised themselves as tourists to work in Lebanon as domestic workers were intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
Citing the BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit, BI Commissioner Noman Tansingco said the three passengers were intercepted last March 10 and 12 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.
All three, he said, were barred from boarding their flights after they confessed that they were headed to Lebanon to work as domestic helpers.
During an interview, one of the three passengers claimed she was traveling to Malaysia as a tourist but presented an Egyptian visa instead.
She then admitted that her final destination was Lebanon, where she was hired to work with a monthly payment of $400.
Meanwhile, the other fake tourist claimed to be employed as a sales agent in an appliance company but presented a dubious certificate of employment and could not present additional proof of her financial capacity to travel. She then confessed she was also bound for Lebanon and was recruited to work as a domestic helper.
The victim intercepted last Mar. 12, on the other hand, claimed she was bound for Hong Kong for a vacation, but further inspection revealed that she was bound for Lebanon and was offered to work as a household service worker.
The three women were held in custody by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance in filing cases against their recruiters.
“These trafficking syndicates are continuing their nefarious activities, but we will not relax our vigilance in preventing their victims from leaving and being saved from the evils of human trafficking,” Tansingco said. – Meralyn Melitante, trainee