5 Pinoys barred from leaving Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 prevented five Filipinos, possible victims of human trafficking, from leaving for Libya on March 6.

In a report to Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, BI Travel Control and Enforcement Unit chief Ma. Timotea Barizo said while the five travelers “passed initial checks, we discovered a strange pattern in their itineraries during secondary inspection.”

The Filipinos, who were supposed to board a flight for Thailand, had concealed their tickets to a connecting flight bound for the United Arab Emirates, with Libya as their final destination, Barizo said.

The five, two of whom were siblings, admitted they were recruited to work as factory workers in Libya by a woman they met through a social media app.