Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recently thwarted another human trafficking operation when they intercepted four men, including two Singaporeans, and four women who tried to leave the country in the guise of being lovers.

 

            BI Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. disclosed that two of the couples attempted to leave last July 30 while the other two were intercepted the next day. 

 

The male passengers, who are suspected couriers of human trafficking syndicates, were about to escort their female victims out of the country when they were stopped by elements from the BI’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) at the NAIA.

 

            “This is another trick being employed by the human trafficking syndicates who have become desperate in finding ways to spirit their victims out of the country,” he added.

 

            He reiterated his warning to Filipinos who want to work abroad to deal only with licensed recruiters and not with human traffickers who will milk them of their hard earned money.

 

            “The ploys of these human traffickers will not escape detection by our immigration officers,” the BI chief said, stressing that the only way overseas contract workers (OFWs) could leave is for them to secure their exit permits from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

            The names of the passengers were not disclosed due to provision in the anti-human trafficking act prohibiting the public disclosure of human trafficking victims.

 

            Officials from the BI airport operations division reported that the first two couples, involving the two Singaporean men, were intercepted at the NAIA 3 airport last July 30 as they were about to board a Cebu Pacific flight Singapore.

 

            The women claimed they were traveling with their Singaporean boyfriends whom they met over Facebook but later admitted that they will be working as entertainers upon arriving in Singapore .

 

            The four other passengers, who were about to board a Cebu Pacific flight to Hongkong last July 31 when intercepted, claimed they are married couples.   

 

            It turned out, however, that one of the two men who happened to be siblings was the same man caught escorting three undocumented female OFWs bound for Korea at the NAIA 2 airport last July 10.

 

            The passengers were turned over to officials of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation and filing of appropriate charges.###