THE Bureau of Immigration yesterday said it intercepted 495 trafficking and illegal recruitment victims in the first three quarters of 2021.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime MOrente said the 495 were part of the 8,413 passengers whose departures were deferred due to improper documentation.
Morente said 90 percent, or 6,909 of the passengers, were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila, while the rest were stopped at airports in Clark, Pampanga, and Mactan in Cebu.
“Of these, 325 were found to be potential victims of human trafficking and were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking or IACAT for investigation and filing of charges against their handlers and recruiters, while 170 were endorsed to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration for discrepancies in their documents,” Morente said.
Morente said despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been no let-up in the agency’s drive against human traffickers and illegal recruiters.
The government’s intensified drive against traffickers and illegal recruiters has enabled the country to retain its Tier 1 rating status in the US State Department’s Annual Trafficking in Persons report in 2020.
A Tier 1 status means that the country has fully met the minimum goals and standards for the elimination of human trafficking and has continually demonstrated serious and sustained effort to combat the menace.
