DFA repatriates 176 Filipinos rescued from Myanmar scam hubs
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs repatriated 176 Filipinos from illegal scam centers in Myanmar on Wednesday, March 26 — part of a larger rescue operation that has so far brought home a total of 206 alleged trafficking victims this week.
The rescued individuals arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport early Wednesday on a special Philippine Airlines flight from Bangkok, following an elaborate cross-border operation that required coordination among Philippine, Myanmar, and Thai authorities, according to the DFA. An earlier group of 30 trafficking victims was brought home the previous day.
While the DFA did not provide specific details about the conditions the victims faced in Myanmar, scam operations in Southeast Asia have become increasingly notorious for luring workers with fake job offers, then confiscating their passports and forcing them to perpetrate online fraud schemes under threat of violence and debt bondage.
The repatriation comes after DFA Migration Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega led a week-long shuttle visit, traveling between Myanmar and Thailand to secure the victims' passage first from Myawaddy, Myanmar to Mae Sot, Thailand on March 24 to 25, and then to Bangkok for their flight home.
"The Philippine government is unwavering in its commitment to protecting Filipinos abroad. This successful operation reaffirms the country as the gold standard in migration protection mechanisms," the DFA said in a statement.
To ensure the 206 Filipinos' safe return home, the DFA deployed Rapid Response Teams in Myawaddy, Mae Sot, and Bangkok, working with officials from the Philippine Embassies in Yangon and Bangkok.
The operation involved multiple agencies under what the DFA called a "one-country-team approach," including representatives from the Department of National Defense, Philippine National Police, and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).
The special flight that arrived Wednesday also carried DFA and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration officials who assisted the repatriates during their journey from Bangkok to Manila.
Upon landing at NAIA, the rescued Filipinos were welcomed by representatives from the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.
The DFA urged all Filipinos to go through proper deployment procedures before taking up overseas employment opportunities.
"The government wishes to reiterate its advice to all Filipinos to pass through the proper deployment procedures of the concerned government agencies, such as the DMW, before leaving the country for overseas employment," the department said.
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