By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – Immigration authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 rescued two Filipino women who were trafficked to work illegally abroad early this week.
The victims, who were posing as tourists, were barred from leaving for Malaysia on Jan. 27, according to Bureau of Immigration (BI) Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) chief Mary Jane Hizon in a statement on Thursday.
Hizon said that during the interview, the two admitted that they were recruited by a woman they knew only as “Madame” to work as hotel cleaners while applying for work visas in Malaysia.
The victims were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for filing of cases against the recruiter.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the “tourist worker scheme” is often abused by recruiters to trick Filipinos to agree to such setup.
Under the scheme, workers are made to work despite only having tourist visas. However, many end up in a vulnerable position when they fail to secure work visas as they are forced to agree to unacceptable conditions set up by employers.
Viado warned aspiring overseas workers against falling prey to such schemes. (PNA)
