3 OFWs intercepted at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines - Bureau of Immigration officers assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) intercepted three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who tried to sneak out of the country over the weekend.

Marlene Pedrealba, deputy head of BI Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) at NAIA Terminal 1, said two of the OFWs were bound for Lebanon while the other was headed to Morocco via Dubai.

Pedrealba said the three women did not know each other but claimed they have one contact person they identified only as “Patrick.” The departing OFWs tried to slip out of the country without passing through the immigration counter, she said.

They were taken to the BI office at the NAIA for further questioning. One of the OFWs identified only as “Jazel’’ said she was instructed by “Patrick” to go through the immigration counter even without presenting her passport to immigration officers for stamping.

She was told to proceed to the fourth floor where Mary Anne Velasco, a TCEU employee, noticed that her passport had no immigration stamp for departure.

Authorities believe that the three are victims of a human trafficking syndicate. They were turned over to the Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking for proper investigation.