4 Pinoys repatriated after being trafficked via boat; paid 127k for release from recruiter

PASAY, Philippines—Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 reported the arrival of four Filipino repatriates from Myanmar.

The Immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) reported to BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco the latest batch of repatriates, consisting of two women and two men who arrived last June 26.

The victims, all in their 30’s, arrived the Philippines on board a Thai Airways flight from Myanmar.  All four admitted to have left the country guised as tourists to Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan, but were transported to Myanmar via boat.

The victims admitted they were initially promised call center jobs but were forced to work as customer service representatives engaged in online scams, mirroring previous repatriates.

“Pilipino rin ang recruiter nila,” said Tansingco.  “It’s sad to hear that our own kababayan facilitates the trafficking other Pinoys.  Dinadala pa sa kapahamakan ang kababayan nila,” he lamented.

The victims stated that they wanted to resign but were made to pay hefty penalties before they were released.  Two were not able to receive their last salaries, while the other two were made to pay 5,000 RMB or more than 127,000 PhP.

The BI said that despite the numerous warnings government agencies give, human trafficking still persists.  “Trafficked Filipinos are forcibly transported to illegally cross borders to get to a remote location where it would be hard to escape,” said Tansingco.

“We are now grappling again with the recurring scheme that has victimized many unsuspecting Filipinos,” added Tansingco. “But we will not cease enforcing strict departure protocols and launching a strong communication campaign aimed at informing the public to combat this recurring modus,” he stated.