MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino woman who was trafficked to Myanmar to work for an online company without compensation had to pay her employers before she was allowed to return to the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration said.
According to the bureau’s statement on Saturday, the trafficking victim had to find three other Filipinos to replace her before she could leave and eventually seek from the Philippine Embassy.
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The trafficking victim was tricked into agreeing to a job offer after recruiters contracted her through Facebook. She was offered a $1,000 salary as a customer service representative in Thailand, the bureau’s statement read.
The victim was then instructed to pose as a tourist during immigration inspections and was then transported to Myanmar in a private car. She was then made to work as a marketing scammer targeting Indian nationals to invest in a platform known as “Pacific Mall.”
Immigration officials said the Filipina worked for almost 16 hours a day without a day off and without compensation. The ordeal ended when she was eventually able to contact a friend in the Philippines, who provided fake flight itineraries that made it look like four people were coming to Thailand to replace her.
After her employers destroyed evidence on her mobile phone, the Filipina was escorted back to Thailand where she sought help from the Philippine Embassy, which secured her repatriation to the Philippines.
Immigration commissioner Norman Tansingco said the incident highlighted the importance of verifying the employers of aspiring overseas Filipino workers with the Department of Migrant Workers to reduce the risk of human trafficking.
Tansingco also called on the public to be vigilant and not to fall prey to scammers.
The Bureau of Immigration has been under fire since March after several social media users recounted incidents where they were reportedly subjected to lengthy and strict screening processes by immigration personnel, some of which led to missed flights.
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The bureau explained that the interviews are meant to deter incidents of trafficking after it noted a rise in the number of young professionals being deceived by fake job opportunities abroad.
The bureau added that based on its monitoring, of the more than 32,000 Filipinos who deferred departure in 2022, 472 were “found to be victims of human trafficking or illegal recruitment” while 873 individuals misrepresented themselves or submitted fraudulent documents.
A chorus of complaints from travelers, however, has prompted the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to review its departure formalities to minimize inconveniences and “better reflect current trends and plug the gaps that arose along the way.” — Cristina Chi