52 Filipino human trafficking victims repatriated from Laos — DMW

At least 52 of the 75 Filipino human trafficking victims in Laos have been repatriated by the Philippine government, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Wednesday.

“Mayroon pong 75 total na victims ng human trafficking sa Laos…Naibalik na po natin dito sa bansa ang 52 OFWs mula sa sa Laos,” said DMW Usec. Bernard Olalia at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.briefing.

(There are a total of 75 human trafficking victims in Laos…We already repatriated 52 of them.)

The DMW said that authorities are now getting affidavits from the victims to identify the individuals who illegally recruited them to Laos and work for a syndicate.

“Ang modus operandi nila ay tulad din nung mga nakaraan. Sila ay binigyan ng offer na sila ay maging customer service relations officer sa bansang Laos. Pagdating doon ay sila pala ay bibiktimahin at miyembro ng sindikato,” said Olalia.

(The modus operandi is just similar to the previous cases, they will be offered to work as customer service relations officers in Laos. It’s only when they are abroad when they will find out that they will be working for a syndicate.)

The DMW earlier sought assistance from the Department of Justice in filing appropriate charges against the recruiters of the Filipinos who were arrested in Laos’ crackdown on a cyber scam network.

It added that they are now coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs on the crackdown of companies within the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo, Laos, which is a suspected hub for illegal activity in recent years.

Aside from legal assistance, the department also provided psychosocial service and financial support to the repatriated OFWs.

But the DMW said it will also provide referrals to those who still want to pursue a career abroad.

“Yung gusto po talaga mag-trabaho abroad, bibigyan natin ng tamang referral. I-advise natin sa kanila kung ano yung mga ahensya, yung mga different migration tracks na pwede nilang puntahan na lehitimo at mayroong valid registered job orders,” said Olalia.

(We will give a referral to those who really want to work abroad. We will advise them with the right agencies, different migration tracks they can go to that are legitimate and have valid registered job orders.)

The department advised the public to be careful of recruitment or job offers abroad by verifying them through DMW’s website.

“Kapag nagsabi ang recruiter na ang inyong visa ay tourist o kaya student visa lamang, isa po ‘yun sa mga red flags na kayo po ay biktima na ng illegal recruitment o human traffickers,” warned Olalia.

(If the recruiter tells you that you will only need a tourist or student visa, it’s one of the red flags that you are being illegally recruited or being trafficked.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News