BI stops departure of 7 Dubai-bound women at Naia

SEVEN women allegedly attempting to leave the country using bogus travel documents were nabbed by immigration authorities, while they were about to board a Cebu Pacific flight to Dubai last Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Port Operations Division chief Grifton Medina said the passengers were barred from leaving after immigration officers found the documents they presented are bogus.

“Those syndicates behind these trafficked women must know there is no letup in our anti-trafficking campaign despite the coronavirus [2019-nCoV] outbreak. Our departure areas remain off limits to human traffickers and their victims,” he said.

The virus outbreak has prompted BI to implement stricter screening procedures for arriving and departing travelers as part of measures to combat the spread of the virus.

Ma. Timotea Barizo, BI’s Travel Control and Enforcement Unit chief, the intercepted passengers were caught in possession of fake Philippine Overseas Employment Administration clearances.

Barizo said the passengers’ validation forms, purportedly showing that their papers were checked and cleared by Labor Assistance Center personnel at the airport, were also found to be counterfeits.

“They admitted during interview that the bogus documents were given to them by their handlers, and they were recruited via Facebook to work as domestic helpers in the United Arab Emirates,” Barizo added.

The women were eventually turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for investigation.