BI relieves officer who OK’d travel clearances of 3 victims of human trafficking

INQUIRER file photo / ALEXIS CORPUZ

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday said it had relieved one of its immigration officers who was suspected of conniving with human trafficking syndicates.

The unidentified male officer reportedly cleared three Filipino women to travel to Lebanon to work as domestic helpers, according to BI commissioner Norman Tansingco.

He said the women, who attempted to board an Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur last April 21, initially pretended to be tourists claiming they would be touring abroad but later confessed that their final destination was Lebanon, where they were recruited to work.

According to the passengers, they were recruited by a certain “Helen” whom they met on Facebook. This “Helen” provided them with travel documents and instructed them to transact to a specific immigration officer.

“They also disclosed that they were all allegedly instructed by their recruiter to queue for clearance at a specific immigration booth.  The officer who cleared the victims has since been relieved of his duties, and is undergoing investigation,” Tansingco said.

In light of this incident, the official said “corruption has no place” in the bureau.

“Immediate action against employees who are possibly conniving with these syndicates will serve as a big deterrent to others who might be thinking of following suit,” he said.

Meanwhile, the trafficking victims were turned over to the Inter-Agency Against Trafficking to investigate and file cases against their recruiters.

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