The Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced yesterday the interception of 100 undocumented Filipino workers in the Zamboanga International Seaport (ZIS).
According to BI Commisioner Jaime Morente, female passengers were intercepted in three separate incidents by members of the BI travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU).
Intercepted last February 10 were 37 victims who attempted to board the MV Antonia 1 bound for Sandakan, Malaysia.
ZIS-TCEU head Usman Sabdani reported that during interview, the 37 gave conflicting statements, while some presented altered passports and supporting documents. It was later found out that most were bound for Qatar and
Dubai, where they were recruited to illegally work without the proper employment documents.
On February 17, another 17 female passengers were caught attempting to board the same vessel and were found to be mostly traveling to Dubai to work as household service workers or caregivers.
On Monday, 56 passengers also bound for Sandakan, Malaysia were intercepted by immigration personnel and were found to be actually traveling to Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Kuwait, where they were recruited to work.
Interviews with those intercepted revealed that they came from different parts of the country and were recruited by agencies that some met through Facebook.
Morente said that the workers were trying to use Malaysia as a jump-off point to other Middle Eastern countries, where they received job offers to work in the service industry.
The 110 were turned over to representatives of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance and further investigation. (Jun Ramirez)
