BI rescues 2 Africa-bound Pinay human trafficking victims
By Jun Ramirez and Jun Ramirez
Agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) rescued two Filipino women believed to be victims of human trafficking after stopping them from boarding their flights bound to Malaysia.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the women were intercepted at NAIA’s Terminal 1 on March 7 as they were about to board their flight to Kuala Lumpur.
The BI chief said the passengers later confessed that they were merely transiting in Malaysia as their final destination is the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa.
They were hired to work as household workers by a Filipina who works as a “mayordoma” for a rich couple in Congo.
“These victims were enticed by promises of big salaries, however by going through these illegal means, they are of higher risk for abuse and exploitation,” the BI chief stressed.
He warned members of human trafficking syndicates that their trick of sending their victims abroad in the guise of being tourists will not work.
“Our officers at the airport are proficient in detecting this old scheme. So it is highly unlikely that they will pass our counters unnoticed,” he added.