Immigration officers intercepted three women at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) who were believed to be victims of human trafficking syndicate when they tried to leave for Hong Kong to work as bar girls.
The Bureau of Immigration’s -travel control and enforcement unit (BI-TCEU) said the passengers were intercepted at the NAIA 1 terminal as they were about to board a Hongkong Airlines flight.
They attempted to leave in the guise of being tourists but the immigration officers who processed them noted numerous inconsistencies in their statements, and referred them for secondary inspection.
The three women initially presented fake tickets, and posed as employees of a travel agency, the BI said.
“It was during the interview that they admitted they were going to work in Hongkong and that they were promised salaries of 500 Hongkong dollars a day,” said BI-TCEU head Ma. Timotea Barizo.
Barizo said women hired as club entertainers abroad were prone to become victims of human trafficking as there have been reports that many of them are eventually forced into prostitution.
“We have rescued these women from harm’s way,” Barizo added.
It was learned that the women were recruited by a female agent whom they only met via Facebook.
They admitted paying P15,000 for their plane tickets but the cost of processing their travel documents was shouldered by their recruiter whom they will pay through salary deduction.
“This is a trick being used by human traffickers. They usually fall in debt from recruiters. They have no choice but to work long hours, only to pay off their so-called debt,” she said.
The women were eventually turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance and further investigation.
