BI: Step up fight vs human trafficking at airports

MANILA, Philippines — Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco yesterday urged local law enforcement agencies operating at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to tighten security to fight human trafficking.

Tansingco had noticed that many trafficking victims recounted how their spurious documents were handed to them in establishments within the airport complex.

“We all have to open our eyes because it’s happening right under our noses,” he said, noting the lengthy process before a victim reaches the airport: recruitment via social media, wire transfer payment and the handout of fake documents.

Tansingco suggested strengthening undercover police presence around the airport premises to detect traffickers who frequent the area.

“To stop trafficking, you have to yank it from its roots and stomp on it hard,” he said.

The agency earlier reported intercepting a female victim last July 17 who was recruited to work in Dubai.  The victim pretended to be a tourist bound for Singapore. Her fraudulent documents were given to her right outside NAIA Terminal 1.

While there is already an Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking that prosecutes human smugglers, Tansingco said “fighting trafficking needs a whole-of-government approach” and “it is necessary for everyone to step up and elevate our game against these syndicates.” — Ghio Ong