Pinay rescued from Malaysia ‘debt bondage’
MANILA, Philippines — A Filipina allegedly forced into prostitution in Malaysia to repay fake debts returned to the Philippines on Aug. 26, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported yesterday.
“This is a clear case of debt bondage wherein the victim is tied to human traffickers because of trumped-up debts,” Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.
The victim, aged 30, had worked for three months at a prostitution hub without pay or food allowances.
With her travel documents confiscated, the victim’s Chinese employer claimed that she owed them P200,000 for the costs of her recruitment.
Recruiters had promised the victim a job as a waitress in Malaysia.
Instead of leaving the country on a plane, the victim and two other women were illegally transported by boat from Tawi-Tawi to Kota Kinabalu on May 29.
After seeking assistance from the Philippine embassy in Malaysia, the victim returned from Kuala Lumpur on a Malaysian Airlines flight.
The BI said the victim would receive aid and the traffickers would be brought to justice.
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