BUREAU of Immigration (BI) immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) officers intercepted a 25-year-old male trafficking victim made to pose by his recruiters as a government employee to bypass airport checks.
The victim initially claimed to be a tourist bound for Hong Kong last October 23 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. He presented a travel authority under the Quezon City Hall, claiming that he is a government employee on a personal holiday. However, I-PROBES officers saw inconsistencies, prompting them to refer him for secondary checks.
During inspection, he admitted that he is actually traveling abroad to work, after he responded to a Facebook advertisement offering a job overseas.
He claimed that he was contacted by a Filipino recruiter, who offered him fake documents for PhP 4,000. He shared that he met with his recruiter in a fast food joint near NAIA, where he received the fraudulent documents.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado warned aspiring overseas workers not to agree to falsifying documents to evade inspection.
He added that immigration officers are thoroughly trained in detecting fraud, document inconsistencies, and deceptive travel patterns during inspection. He likewise warned that engaging in illegal work abroad exposes individuals to serious risks such as exploitation, trafficking, and criminal prosecution in foreign jurisdictions.
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