THE Bureau of Immigration intercepted last Friday 10 Filipinas who were alleged victims of a sex trafficking ring from leaving for Singapore.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco yesterday said the 10, aged from 20 to early 30, were prevented from boarding a Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore.
“We received information earlier this month from the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking that these women were being trafficked abroad and were recruited as entertainers, but will end up as sex workers,” Tansingco said.
He said upon receipt of the information, they included the group in their monitoring records to be able to intercept them.
He added they also received information from the office of Sen. Risa Hontiveros on the women, further validating their doubts on their actual purpose of travel.
“They claimed that they were traveling as tourists with friends. However, a closer inspection of their records revealed valid working permits as entertainers in Singapore,” the BI chief said, adding that upon questioning, they told immigration officers they were recruited separately online through Facebook to work in a pub in Singapore.
They were offered a salary of P40,000 per month, with their travel expenses supposedly to be deducted from their salaries for the first six months.
“This is a clear example of debt bondage–a tactic in trafficking–wherein they are made to pay the expenses for the recruitment. These expenses pile up, and they end up being forced to work to pay their debt,” Tansingco said.
The victims were turned over to the IACAT for assistance in filing cases against their recruiters.
