Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 10) — Four human trafficking victims who were supposed to fly to Cambodia to work in offshore gaming operators there were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on March 1, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Friday.
In a statement, BI Travel Control and Enforcement Unit chief Ann Camille Mina said the four victims attempted to leave the country via a Jetstar Airlines flight to Singapore.
“We received intelligence information from the National Bureau of Investigation and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking about the departure of the victims that were said to be actually bound for Cambodia to work in offshore gaming operations,” she said.
Mina said they were intercepted along with a female recruiter who was with her four-year-old child.
The victims admitted to authorities they paid the recruiter ₱10,000 each as downpayment for the trip, BI said.
All the intercepted individuals were turned over to the IACAT for further investigation, the bureau noted.
The government is currently working on bringing back Filipinos brought to countries like Cambodia and Laos to work as crypto scammers.
Three immigration officers were placed under investigation in January for their alleged involvement with human trafficking syndicates.
