BI rescues 6 women from human trafficking to Korea

Clark International Airport in Pampanga province. INQUIRER FILE / TONETTE OREJAS

Six women leaving for South Korea were saved by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) from suspected human trafficking at the Clark International Airport (CIA) in Angeles City, Pampanga, the agency said Thursday.

The BI said the women, who were intercepted on Nov. 8 before they could board a plane, were bound for Incheon, South Korea, to work as nightclub entertainers. They were holders of entertainer’s visas issued by the Korean embassy.

However, the women’s Overseas Employment Certificates were suspicious and the details in the documents did not match those in the BI database.

The BI said the women claimed that a fixer in Cavite named “Mercy” processed their travel documents. They said they obtained their certificate printouts from the Internet by entering information given by the fixer.

The women, whose names were not divulged due to anti-trafficking laws, were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation and assistance.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente issued a directive alerting bureau personnel in all international ports nationwide on the modus operandi of the syndicate responsible for victimizing women who wish to work in Korea.

“Our duty is to protect Filipinos who are vulnerable to being tricked by this scheme. We are sharing this story for awareness, so that aspiring OFWs will not accept offers from illegal recruiters,” Morente said in a statement. /cbb