THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday urged top officials of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to probe the possible involvement of airline personnel in facilitating the departure of victims of human trafficking syndicates and illegal recruiters.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco made the call after immigration officers intercepted last April 5 a woman who attempted to leave using a fake immigration departure stamp on her passport.
Tansingco said the woman has told immigration officers during interrogation that she was assisted by an airline employee and the latter’s former officemate in queuing at the immigration departure counter at the NAIA Terminal 3.
“She said she was told to fall in line after her handler handed her passport and boarding pass which had the fake BI departure stamps on them,” Tansingco said, adding the BI’s document forensic laboratory later confirmed that the said stamp was counterfeit.
The woman was supposed to fly to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia en route to the United Arab Emirates where she was allegedly recruited to work as a household worker.
The BI chief declined to name the airline associated with the woman’s escort, as the case is still under investigation by the NAIA’s Anti-Trafficking Task Force and airport police.
