Four Filipino trafficking victims return to PH from Myanmar

Four Filipinos were repatriated from Myanmar after they fell victim to a human trafficking scheme, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Saturday.

The victims, composed of two men and two women, all in their 30s, arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 on June 26.

“All four admitted to [having] left the country [disguised] as tourists to Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan but were transported to Myanmar via boat,” the BI said.

“The victims admitted they were initially promised call center jobs but were forced to work as customer service representatives engaged in online scams, mirroring previous repatriates.”

Further, the BI said that the victims had to pay hefty amounts before they were able to resign.

“The victims stated that they wanted to resign but were made to pay hefty penalties before they were released,” the bureau said. “Two were not able to receive their last salaries, while the other two were made to pay 5,000 RMB or more than P127,000.”

The BI said their recruiter was a Filipino.

A Senate investigation was launched in 2022 after Senator Risa Hontiveros revealed that several overseas Filipino workers were rescued from a Chinese syndicate based in Myanmar. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/VBL, GMA Integrated News