BI steps up drive vs foreign sex workers

Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Marcelino Libanan has ordered his men to step up their drive against syndicates facilitating the entry of foreign prostitutes, mostly from mainland China, to different parts of the country.

“We should not give these syndicates any room they desperately need to keep their unauthorized activity afloat. We should not allow them to strengthen their illegal trade at the expense of our country,” he said.

Libanan also ordered Ferdie Sampol, BI operations chief at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), and other field agents to keep a close watch on possible entry points used by these syndicates to bring in foreign prostitutes.

He told his officials to go after “bad eggs” within the bureau who connive with these syndicates.

According to intelligence reports, these “escort service” syndicates managed to bring foreign prostitutes to the country by posing them as tourists carrying legitimate travel documents.

These foreign prostitutes are brought to different parts of the country where they work as “escorts,” a term for a high-class prostitute, to those who can afford to pay for their “services.”

With the help of the Philippine National Police, the BI has arrested and deported hundreds of foreign prostitutes, most of them from Russia and China.

“We must not let our past accomplishments be put to waste by allowing these syndicates to revive their operation and embarrass us again in front of other countries,” Libanan said.  – Rudy Santos