Zamboanga City map. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration said on Saturday that it apprehended three Filipino women who tried to leave for Malaysia illegally through the Zamboanga International Seaport.
According to the BI, the women, who poised as tourists, were found with inconsistencies in the documents they submitted on January 22.
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They were attempting to board a vessel bound for Sandakan, Malaysia.
When they were questioned further, the women said that they were paying a visit to their relatives in Malaysia, but they gave conflicting information.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that the documents were just given to them before the trip, and that it was a trafficking case.
“It was an obvious case of trafficking, as their documents were just handed to them before their trip,” Tansingco said.
“They admitted to barely knowing each other, as this is a common modus of traffickers to send out groups pretending to be friends, officemates, or even relatives,” he added.
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The three women were referred to the Zamboanga Sea-based Anti-Trafficking Task Force for subsequent investigation.
Tansingco added that authority presence is strong in the southern port, despite beliefs that authorities are less strict as compared to major international ports.
“Traffickers might think that there is less regulation in our southern port, hence attempts to send out victims there,” he continued.
“However, the IACAT’s [Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking] presence remains strong there, ensuring that victims are intercepted before departure,” he added.