Two alleged trafficking victims flying to Oman held at Naia

FACE OFTHE PHILIPPINES Many international visitors pass through Terminal 1 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) in Pasay City as they step foot in the country. The consortium undertaking Naia’s rehabilitation has promised to give the country a better airport within the next six months. —RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Friday that it apprehended two alleged trafficking victims.

According to the BI, the victims who attempted to board a flight to Dubai going to Oman were caught at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on March 19.

READ: 241 fake documents detected by Immigration in 2023

At first, they claimed that they were visiting their spouses, who were overseas Filipino workers and showed marriage certificates that supported their statements.

But, in the secondary investigation done by the BI, they admitted that the marriage certificates were bought from fixers on Facebook and were told to pose as tourists.

The two said that they were told they would work as car painters and salon workers in Oman, with an expected salary of 250 riyals, or around P3,750 as of this writing.

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco told those who wanted to find work in other countries to procure legitimate documents.

READ: BI intercepts Filipina with a fake document at Naia

“Ensure that you are getting your documents from legitimate sources, lest be duped into getting fake ones,” he added.