Immigration locating 11 Colombian women

Foreign sex workers appear to be back in the country as the Bureau of Immigration is trying to locate at least 11 Colombian women believed to have gone into prostitution in Cebu.

The bureau’s Immigration Regulation Division (IRD) said nine Colombian women have disappeared in the country after failing to renew their visas.

However, two Colombian women, who were earlier identified by the Colombian International Police (Interpol) as allegedly being involved in the flesh trade in the country, were not in the list.

In a statement, the bureau said the two women were reportedly lured by illegal recruiters in Colombia and later forced into the flesh trade in the Philippines.

He said they discovered that 39 Columbian women arrived in the country this year after Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo ordered them to check reports about these foreigners allegedly being involved in the flesh trade.

Out the 34 Colombian women, nine, however, have not left the country and have failed to extend their visas, thus making them overstaying aliens.

Mendoza could not immediately give a profile of the nine foreigners or say if they are indeed involved in prostitution.

The possibility that there are more Colombians engaged in prostitution got a boost with the reported arrest of a suspected Colombian sex worker in Lahug, Cebu a month ago.

Col. Lino Calingasan, BI intelligence chief, said elements of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crimes nabbed the Colombian woman during an operation against foreign prostitutes in Cebu.