TWO Filipina victims of human trafficking were rescued recently by immigration officers at the Zamboanga International Seaport.
A report submitted to Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the victims are aged 43 and 40 who attempted to depart for Sandakan, Sabah via MV Antonia I.
Both initially claimed that they were traveling for a vacation separately but upon further inspection admitted that they were bound for Lebanon to work as household service workers.
The two flew from Manila to Zamboanga, where they were instructed to ride the vessel to Sandakan.
They said that they were instructed to stay in Malaysia for one day while waiting for their visa before their flight to Lebanon.
“These traffickers are now attempting to use other ports to evade strict security checks, thinking we have no presence there,” said Tansingco.
“As part of the IACAT, it is our duty to intercept such cases in order to protect our kababayans from harm,” he added.
