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MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Three suspected victims of human trafficking bound for South KoreA have been rescued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI).
In a post on social media on Monday, the BI said that the three female victims initially claimed to be bound for Thailand who will visit the country as tourists, along with another female companion.
The women eventually admitted that their companion is actually their recruiter and that they were bound for South Korea where they were promised work as singers.
The BI said that the three women鈥檚 recruiter allegedly offered them a monthly salary of P40,000.
According to the bureau, the victims told them that their recruiter was supposed to escort them to Korea and then return to the Philippines alone.
鈥淭here are numerous cases documented wherein victims are promised work as entertainers, but end up in prostitution,鈥� BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.
鈥淎spiring workers should also protect themselves by ensuring that they only apply work through legal means,鈥� he added.
The BI said that the three women and their recruiter were turned over to the CIA inter-agency council against trafficking. Appropriate charges will be filed against the recruiter.
According to the US Department of State鈥檚 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report, the Philippine government identified 1,277 human trafficking victims last year, including 740 cases of听 sex trafficking.