Bureau of Immigration bares new human trafficking scheme at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines – Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted nine Filipinos from leaving on a purported European tour Saturday.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) Migration and Compliance and Monitoring Group (MCMG) said the nine Filipinos are part of a group tour involving 70 people bound for Amsterdam.

The BI said the nine Filipinos admitted they were set to work in Italy, had no intention of going on the tour, and paid P300,000 for the whole package, including the visa processing fee.

The travel agency, according to the BI, obtained valid Schengen visas issued by the embassy of Poland in Bangkok, Thailand.

“This is the new modus-operandi of illegal recruiters who use the Schengen tourist visa for deployment in European countries,” BI’s Ferdinand Sampol said.

The MCMG said the visa applications were supported by spurious papers. The applicants denied the misrepresenation and said the travel agency supplied the documents.

Sampol said that the nine Filipinos were turned over to the NAIA Task Force against Trafficking in Persons for further investigation. – Rudy Santos