MANILA, Philippines — Agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Monday prevented five teenagers bound for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from leaving the Philippines.
Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the minors were intercepted by personnel of the Port Operations Division at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1.
Morente said the teengers pretended to be adults so they could leave for Saudi Arabia to work as domestic helpers.
“The minors fell victim to a human trafficking ring, which sends young girls to work abroad by letting them assume the identities of older women through falsification of travel documents,” BI acting Deputy Commissioner Marc Red Mariñas said.
“They gave inconsistent answers when asked about their age and dates of birth during questioning,” Mariñas added.
Morente ordered BI personnel at the NAIA to intensify the screening of departing overseas Filipino workers.
The teenagers were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.