INQUIRER file photo / ALEXIS CORPUZ
MANILA, Philippines — A Hong Kong-bound Filipina confessed to the Bureau of Immigration (BI) screening officers that she was illegally recruited and was transferring to another country to work as a household helper.
In a statement released on Monday, BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section said the victim, whose identity was hidden under the alias Nina, was scheduled to fly on November 3 for a four-day trip to Hong Kong and Macau.
She was referred to the secondary inspection officer of the airport due to “numerous inconsistencies” during her primary interview, the BI said.
However, upon facing the second inspector, Nina said that she did not want to continue with her flight anymore and admitted the true purpose of her trip.
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“Aamin po ako sayo. Papunta ako sa UAE [United Arab Emirates] pagkatapos kong mag-tour sa Hong Kong,” said Nina to the screening officer.
(I will admit it to you. I am going to the UAE after my tour in Hong Kong.)
“Pero ayaw ko nang tumuloy kasi kinakabahan ako. Parang may kakaiba sa biyahe ko na ito,” she added.
(But I do not want to continue because I am nervous. There seems to be something different about my trip.)
The BI said that the victim was recruited to work as a household service worker in the UAE by another Filipina she met on Facebook.
She was promised a P30,000 salary per month, the bureau added.
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In the statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco commended Nina for admitting her situation, as this could have saved her from exploitation abroad.
“Ultimately, the decision to protect oneself would come from the individual. Let us not put ourselves in danger by agreeing to departing through illegal means,” Tansingco said.
The BI said that the Inter-Agency Council endorsed Nina’s case Against Trafficking, which also provided assistance and initiated an investigation against her recruiter.