7 trafficking victims stopped at NAIA

Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have foiled attempts by human trafficking syndicates to spirit seven of their victims out of the country amid the surge of passengers during the All Saints’ Day break.

Immigration port operations chief Grifton Medina said two of the victims were intercepted at NAIA’s Terminal 3 last Tuesday as they were about to board a flight to Hong Kong en route to the United Arab Emirates where they were hired as maids.

Five more victims were intercepted the next day at Terminal 3 before they could board a plane to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they would stay prior to their deployment as factory workers in Poland, Medina said.

“These syndicates are mistaken if they thought they could succeed in bringing their victims out of the country while our immigration officers are very busy servicing thousands of passengers who are vacationing here and abroad during the Undas break. We were prepared for them,” he said.

He said Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente earlier ordered all Immigration port personnel to double their vigilance following intelligence reports that trafficking syndicates would take advantage of the holidays.

“As usual, the victims were either caught with spurious documents or were hired by illegal recruiters,” said Chiqui Catipay, head supervisor of the Immigration’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) at NAIA 3.

It was learned that the two Hong Kong-bound passengers were caught with fake overseas employment certificates and labor assistance center clearances.

The Poland-bound factory workers were allegedly hired by a recruitment agency which was suspended by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

All seven victims were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation and filing of appropriate charges against their recruiters.