Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the international airport in Mactan, Cebu intercepted a family of three Africans suspected to be victims of an international human trafficking syndicate operating in the country.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the three passengers from Senegal, which included two minors and their mother, were intercepted last March 30 when they attempted to leave for South Korea with questionable travel papers.
“It appears that these Africans were victimized by a trafficking syndicate that uses the Philippines as a transit point for smuggling illegal aliens to other countries,” Tansingco added.
The BI intelligence division reported that the passengers were supposed to board a Korean Airlines flight to Seoul when they were intercepted.
They were stopped from leaving after immigration officers noticed that their Senegalese passports do not have immigration arrival stamps on them.
When asked why their passports do not have arrival stamps and how they arrived in the country, they claimed that they arrived in the country on board a boat The female Senegalese and her two children were turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Cebu for assistance, prior to their return to their originating port.
“This incident proves that human trafficking is not just a Philippine problem. It is a global problem that should be combatted through the combined efforts of all governments throughout the world,” the BI chief stressed.
