IMMIGRATION Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado yesterday ordered the relief of seven immigration personnel following information linking them to the illegal departure of trafficking victims repatriated from Myanmar.
The personnel are assigned at Terminals 1 and 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
“If found to have assisted the victims, said employees face cases before the Department of Justice,” Viado said.
He did not identify the agents, but said they were linked to the departure of 30 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were repatriated last Tuesday on board a Philippine Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand.
The workers were rescued by the Philippine government from online scamming syndicates in Myanmar.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said 176 more Filipino workers were brought back early Wednesday to Manila via a special flight from Bangkok.
The repatriation comes after a week-long shuttle visit of DFA Undersecretary Eduardo José de Vega to Myanmar and Thailand to facilitate the return of the workers who were trafficked to work in scam hubs in Myawaddy, Myanmar.
The DFA said De Vega and Philippine Embassy officials in Yangon and Bangkok worked with local authorities to safely transfer the workers from Myanmar to Mae Sot in Thailand on March 24 and 25.
Upon arrival in Mae Sot, they were taken to Bangkok for their repatriation flight to Manila.
“The PAL special flight, which arrived today, also had a Rapid Response Team on board composed of DFA and OWWA [Overseas Workers Welfare Administration] officials and personnel to assist the 176 repatriates during their journey from Bangkok to Manila,” the DFA said.
Last month, 12 Filipinos were also rescued and repatriated from Myanmar. The 12 claimed they were forced to work upon their arrival in Myawaddy as “love scammers,” who made their victims fall in love and steal money through cryptocurrency investments.
The workers recounted they were supposedly subjected to physical abuse, long work hours without pay, and even electric shocks as punishment for any violations.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said that upon the arrival of the workers, each victim was provided P50,000 in financial assistance from the DMW and another P10,000 from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
They were also provided immediate medical and psychosocial services by the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The DMW is also set to provide legal assistance to the victims of the illegal recruitment.
The repatriated OFWs will also be provided reintegration support and upskilling trainings through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
Cacdac said there are now 206 OFWs repatriated from Myanmar.
“Another 59 OFWs are expected to return home soon,” he added.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the DSWD will provide psychosocial interventions and other assistance to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of the repatriated workers.
Gatchalian joined other government officials from the DMW, BI, DOH and Department of Justice (DOJ) in welcoming the second batch of 176 OFWs.
“The role of the DSWD is rehabilitation and reintegration. We have packages of services but it’s a whole-of-government approach. The DSWD will step in, together with the Department of Health, in making sure that the debriefing is in order – the psychosocial interventions),” he said.
He said the ultimate goal is to reunite the workers to their families and reintegrate them back to their communities while ensuring that they receive the appropriate interventions to lessen their emotional scarring and mental distress.
Gatchalian said the DSWD would also provide temporary shelter for the repatriated Filipinos who may not yet be prepared to return to their families.
He also the said DSWD would provide financial assistance, which will be separate from the assistanc provided by the DMW.
The BI intercepted a total of 1,093 victims of human trafficking in 2024.
Earlier this month, it reported the repatriation of three trafficking victims who were forced to work in scam hubs in Cambodia. They admitted that they were smuggled out of the country via small boats from Jolo, Sulu, to Sabah, Malaysia.
They said their passports were stamped with fake Philippine departure marks before they traveled to Cambodia through Malaysia and Thailand.
BI investigations showed the three victims had no official record of departure.
Viado said the agency continues to strengthen border security but stressed that curbing human trafficking requires cooperation among agencies.
“Traffickers are looking for ways to evade inspection. Whether it be a corrupt individual or areas that are vulnerable for illegal travel, these syndicates push to exploit every possible loophole to smuggle victims out undetected,” he said. “This is why continuous vigilance, stronger enforcement, and interagency cooperation are crucial in stopping these crimes,” he added. – With Gerard Naval and Jocelyn Montemayor
