2 trafficking victims ?intercepted at NAIA

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) two victims of a human trafficking syndicate bound for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

BI port operations chief Grifton Medina yesterday said the two male passengers were prevented from boarding their flight at NAIA Terminal 3 last July 2 after presenting fake documents, particularly overseas employment certificates (OECs), seaman’s books and letters of guarantee from their alleged shipping agent.

The two, who were supposed to work as seafarers, admitted that they paid their recruiter P5,000 each for the fake documents.

Medina said the BI officer who processed the two passengers immediately found that their OECs are not registered or encoded in the database of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

The two passengers, whose names were not divulged as the law prohibits it, were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation. – Rudy Santos