PROBE UNDERWAY Seven immigration personnel assigned to Terminals 1 and 3 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport have been relieved and now face an investigation for their alleged involvement in the trafficking of 206 Filipinos who ended up in Myanmar. The victims have safely returned to the country. 鈥擨nquirer file photo
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Bureau of Immigration (BI) relieved and started investigating on Wednesday seven employees who were tagged in the departure of 206 Filipinos who ended up in a trafficking hub in Myanmar.
The BI did not identify the seven workers assigned to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminals 1 and 3 but said in a statement that 鈥渋f found to have assisted the victims, said employees face cases before the Department of Justice.鈥�
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the 206 trafficking victims were repatriated in two batches earlier this week.
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The first batch of 30 came home on Tuesday, and the second batch of 176 arrived at Naia early on Wednesday morning.
The DFA said the Filipinos crossed from Myawaddy in Myanmar to Thailand, where they boarded a special flight from Bangkok after Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega sought the aid of Myanmar and Thailand officials in the repatriation.
鈥淩epresentations yielded the prompt actions of Myanmar and Thai authorities for the Filipino [human trafficking victims] to safely cross from Myawaddy, Myanmar, to Mae Sot, Thailand, on 24 and 25 March 2025, and then bussed without any stopovers to the airport in Bangkok to take the flights to Manila on the same day,鈥� the DFA said in a statement.
It added that rapid response teams were positioned on the ground in Myawaddy, Mae Sot, and Bangkok to assist them in their journey back to the Philippines.
Plight of victims
Many Filipinos have fallen for online recruitment scams promising lucrative jobs, such as call center agents in countries like Thailand, only to be brought to Myanmar and forced to work in cryptocurrency scams.
In some cases, the DFA said the victimized Filipinos complained of working under harsh conditions, including beatings, electrocutions and deprivation of food, when they failed to hit their quotas.
According to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the repatriates received medical and psychological assistance upon their return. Each of them also received P50,000 in financial assistance from the DMW and P10,000 from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
While stricter measures are being observed in screening passengers, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado noted the 鈥済rowing challenge鈥� of intercepting trafficking victims at airports, as many now come from 鈥渨ell-off backgrounds鈥� and pose as legitimate tourists.
According to Viado, syndicates co-opt individuals with clean travel records, making it more difficult for immigration officers to detect potential victims.
Backdoor routes
He also said that trafficking syndicates continue to exploit illegal backdoor routes in an attempt to bypass stricter immigration controls.
鈥淭raffickers are looking for ways to evade inspection. Whether it be a corrupt individual or areas that are vulnerable for illegal travel, these syndicates push to exploit every possible loophole to smuggle victims out undetected,鈥� Viado said, noting that continuous vigilance, stronger enforcement and interagency cooperation are crucial in stopping these crimes.
Earlier this month, the BI reported the repatriation of three trafficking victims from Cambodia who were being forced to work in a scam hub.
Investigations revealed they had no official record of departure as they were reportedly smuggled out via small boats from Jolo, Sulu, to Sabah, Malaysia.