Immigration Foils Trafficking Attempt at NAIA

Immigration Officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 4 foiled an attempt to traffic 16 victims to Malaysia last March 4.

The 16 passengers, whose names have been withheld for their safety, presented themselves as a group of friends going on tour to Malaysia. They attempted to depart for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia via Air Asia Flight Z2940.

However, upon interview, Immigration Officers Gliziel Joy Diaz and Jeathone Largo noticed inconsistencies in their statements and thus referred them to Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) Officer Joyce Arianne Laurel for further inspection.

Verification with airline personnel revealed that the 16 passengers only booked their tickets the day before, and did not have a return ticket. They could neither present accommodation arrangements in their country of destination, nor elaborate on their travel itinerary.

This prompted TCEU Officer Laurel to inquire more on the nature of their travel. During the interview, the passengers eventually admitted that they did not know each other, and they paid P20,000 each to a certain ‘Ms. Weng’ and ‘Ms. Riza’ whose full names are unknown to them. Ms. Weng and Ms. Riza introduced themselves as legitimate manpower agents and offered them assistance in seeking work abroad.

One of the victims, a 29-year-old former security guard, claims that he was promised work in Malaysia. He became suspicious of the recruiters because he knew the process of acquiring legitimate work documents, as his brother was also an OFW. When he asked for a copy of his POEA clearance and his Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar Certificate, Ms. Riza assured him that said documents will be provided before departure. He only learned on that same day that he will depart as a tourist, and not as an OFW as promised.

Two of the female victims were former repatriated OFWs from war-torn Libya. They admitted that they are planning to transit Malaysia to go back to Libya amidst calls for repatriation as a result of the deteriorating security situation in that country. They stated that they paid Ms. Weng and Ms. Riza P20,000 to assist their departure.

The rest of the victims admitted to have paid the same amount to Ms. Weng and Ms. Riza, claiming that they were convinced by the two that work was waiting for them abroad.

They were immediately endorsed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation and for filing of appropriate charges against their recruiters.

BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison reminded aspiring OFWs not to be “satisfied with flowery words from illegal recruiters. They must be vigilant at all times, and exert all efforts in ensuring that the agencies they deal with are legitimate manpower agencies.” Mison also mentioned that OFWs may coordinate with the POEA to verify if the manpower agency they are dealing with is legitimate.

“They will most likely be victims of human trafficking as soon as they set foot abroad, where they will have no one to turn to. We implement the law to protect the interest of our kababayans and their families,” Mison said.

Source: www.immigration.gov.ph