Guos' escape mirrors victim's human trafficking journey via backdoor routes
MANILA, Philippines — The story of a victim, "Karen," shed light on human trafficking operations through backdoor routes across the Philipines' borders at a Senate hearing.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo had called for an investigation into possible lapses at seaports and airports, which continued on Thursday, September 12. The probe was in conjuction to the case of former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo, which has spun into different issues, from the authenticity of birth records to border security.
At the hearing, Karen recounted how she fell victim to human trafficking and illegal recruitment after being promised work in Europe.
Karen left Manila and traveled to Zamboanga, passing through Terminal 2 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport. From Zamboanga, she made her way to Tawi-Tawi.
There, she met with her contact before boarding another boat in Sitangkai, which is in the southernmost part of the Philippines, near Malaysia.
“In this case of Tawi-Tawi, this is usually the route that human traffickers always use,” Tulfo said.
After another boat transfer, Karen and her group arrived in Sabah. They then rode a van for six hours from Semporna to Kota Kinabalu.
While staying at a hotel, the recruiter took Karen's passport for a "chop-chop," a process where a passport is stamped without the holder's name appearing in immigration systems. The recruiters, working with immigration personnel in Malaysia, instructed the group on which officer to approach.
After clearing Sabah, they flew to Kuala Lumpur, then to the Malaysian-Thai border in Changlun, where the recruiters took their baggage. There, they entered a tunnel into Thailand with the assistance of Thai nationals.
For six hours, Karen and her group crossed four mountains, with one member of the group fainting. Karen reported seeing no border patrol as they entered Thailand. From Bangkok, they were supposed to fly to Europe, with a short layover in South Korea.
However, Thai officials flagged several irregularities, such as their missing luggage and fake documents.
Their contact offered to arrange e-visas to Turkey for P10,000, but Karen said they were out of money.
They were eventually repatriated by a team from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
'Chop-chop' operations
“Karen's story is a perfect example of human trafficking and illegal recruitment,” DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said in mixed English and Filipino.
Michelle Tadeo, who overseas the immigratio bureau's bay operations, explained that "chop-chop" refers to the falsification of passport stamps, a term used by syndicates.
Sen. Tulfo suggested that Guo and her associates might have used the same "chop-chop" system.
Tadeo, however, said that such operations are no longer possible in the Philippines. While she acknowledged past cases, she noted that charges have since been filed against those involved.
Tadeo also clarified that travelers cannot choose which immigration lanes they pass through, as immigration officers are seated randomly.
Guo's escape from the Philippines appears to share similarities with Karen's, as both cases involve leaving the country through a series of boat transfers.
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