This is another sad story of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) and like other tell-all stories, this one is also heart-breaking – so cruel.
In her desire to give her family comfort and better life, an OFW, identified only as “Diana,” was forced to abort her baby so she can be trafficked to Middle East.
Worse, she claimed that she was able to go Syria with the “help” of corrupt Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials who are in cahoots with her recruiter.
This she said at the resumption of the Senate Committee on Women and Children’s hearing on the so-called “pastillas scam.”
Diana recalled that sometime in 2017, she was promised a job either in Dubai or Egypt, but to her dismay she was instead brought to war-torn Syria.
She told the panel, chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, her illegal recruiter, an agent named “Maam Beth” paid BI officers to let her out of the country without inspection.
“Sinabihan ako na pagpasok ng immigration, antayin ko ang text niya kasi hindi kami pwedeng magkamali ng punta ng ibang counter,” Diana said during Tuesday’s panel hearing.
“Through text, tinuturuan ako ng taga recruitment agency kung ano ang dapat gawin, step by step. Sinabihan ako na babae ang nasa counter. Hindi ko lang maalala kung ano ang number ng counter,” added Diana.
However, it was only the start of her ordeal.
After arriving in Malaysia, someone from the recruitment agency fetched her and another recruit and brought them to a “house” where she found many Filipino women – all agonizingly waiting for their visas.
During her stay in Malaysia, Diana recalled how she even accompanied one of the recruiters to a money remittance center to wire money as payment to their “contact” at the BI.
When her visa to Syria arrived, she was forced to leave. However, Diana found out she was pregnant.
She begged her recruiters to allow her to go home so she can take care of herself and her condition, but to no avail.
They forced her to abort her baby.
“Nagmamakaawa ako na pauwiin ako pero hindi ako pinayagan. Sinabihan ako na, ‘kaya mo bang bayaran ang perang ginastos namin sa iyo.’ Ayoko po talaga magpalaglag pero halos sampalin ako,” she narrated.
“Wala na ako magawa kundi inumin – pinasok ko yung gamot na Cytotec sa bunganga at sa puwerta,” an emotional Diana recalled.
Hontiveros said Diana’s story is similar to the experience of three other trafficked women — ‘Alice,’ ‘Belen,’ and ‘Carol’ — who last week disclosed to her office how immigration officers were paid by their recruiter to allow them to exit from the Philippines.
Allison “Alex” Chiong, the witness who blew the whistle on the so-called “pastillas scam” that involves Chinese personalities in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO)-related prostitution, affirmed Diana’s testimony.
According to Chiong, even visa readers of some airline companies, are also involved in the outbound trafficking scheme. Even the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), he said, is aware of this.
BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, who was present at the virtual hearing, said he was “really at a loss for words” after hearing Diana’s testimony.
