By Alec Go
Two batches of human trafficking victims who were recruited to work for “seemingly-good call center jobs” in Thailand and Myanmar were repatriated earlier this week, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said trafficking syndicates are victimizing young professionals in the country and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) with expiring contracts in the Middle East.
“The new face of victims now are really professionals with good jobs here in the country but seek adventure abroad. Some of them are even traveling with their partners or claimed they will be visiting family, and have previous travels,” he said.
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The first batch of victims, four males and two females in their 20s and early 30s with good backgrounds, were repatriated on May 29 from Bangkok after they were rescued by Philippine authorities abroad.
The second batch, consisting of two males and one female in their 20s arrived on May 30. The bureau said two of these victims left as registered OFWs while one left as a tourist.
Tansingco said the traffickers used the same modus to recruit the new victims to jobs that turned out to be a scam.
All of the victims flew to the two countries in late 2022 and early 2023. – gb
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