Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Nine passengers bound for Japan were intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) last week after it was found out that they were posing as students.
The passengers were traveling with a Filipina identified as Annie Yamon Kotake, a Japanese resident.
A press release by the BI on Tuesday (June 30) said that the passengers were in possession of Japanese student visas processed by the K-Ann International School owned by Kotake.
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But it was later disclosed that the real purpose of their trip was to work in Japan.
An interview conducted by the Immigration Travel Control and Enforcement Unit revealed that the passengers, who all hail from Cavite, met through Kotake and studied the Japanese language in her school in preparation for their deployment. All travel expenses for the trip were shouldered by them.
One of the interviewed passengers disclosed that Kotake has also recruited entertainers using the same tactic.
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The recent discovery prompted BI spokesperson Elaine Tan to warn jobseekers against transacting with illegal recruiters.
“Filipinos who wish to work abroad have to make sure that they have the necessary working documents from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Otherwise, instead of finding greener pastures abroad, they run the risk of becoming victims of human trafficking,” she said.
