Trafficking victim reveals fake stamp to bypass Immigration at NAIA

A human trafficking victim on Tuesday said that escorts facilitating the departure of trafficked individuals at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport gave them fake exit stamps to bypass the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, Senator Risa Hontiveros presented an individual under the pseudonym "Paulo" who thought he had been recruited to work as a customer service representative in Thailand but found out he was going to be sent to work as a scammer in Myanmar.

Paulo told the committee that the recruiter, whom he identified as a Laisa Magallanes, instructed him that someone at the airport would escort them and expedite their departure.

The service costs P30,000 and would be deducted from their salary, he was told.

Paulo said that on October 4, someone working for the escort approached him to return his passport for him to be able to check in.

"Pagkatapos ng check-in, ako ay tumungo sa Immigration...Habang nakapila ako sa check-in counter, bigla ako tinawagan ng escort at pinagalitan ako. Bakit daw ako pumipila sa immigration kasi aalis daw ako bilang empleyado ng airport at hindi bilang OFW o turista," Paulo said.

He was told to proceed to Bay 13 in the arrival area, where the escort gave him an ID pass showing him to be an employee working at the airport.

Paulo said the escort's assistant asked him to surrender his passport again.

At this point, Paulo said, he sent a message to Magallanes to inform her that he was not going to continue with the process.

"Pinilit ko po sila na ibalik ang passport ko at pinapunta ako sa [coffee shop] sa labas ng airport, at punong-puno ng takot. Nandoon naghihintay ang assistant," he said.

"Pagdating ko sa [coffee shop] ay sinulatan nila ang passport ko na VOID. Doon ko lang din napansin na may tatak na ang passport ko na tila galing sa Immigration pero di naman talaga ako dumaan ng Immigration," he added.

He said he went to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) to seek a refund of his travel tax and tell them what had happened to him, but was told to ask for police assistance.

"Nakakuha ako ng taxi at nagmamadaling umuwi na, punong-puno ng takot dahil naisip ko na madaming kasabwat si Laisa sa airport," he said.

"Sa susunod na araw, napag-alaman ko na ang buong plano ay dadalhin kami sa Myanmar. Napag-alaman ko din na may mga nasa Myanmar na na hindi din dumaan sa Immigration, kundi nakalusot sa pamamagitan ng modus operandi na pagpapanggap bilang staff. Napag-alaman ko din na ang buong pangalan ni Laisa ay Laisa Magallanes," he added.

Paulo also said that those who were already in Myanmar badly needed help.

"Na-contact ko din ang mga nasa Myanmar at may alam ako na kailangang kailangan nila ng tulong. Nais ko din po na panagutin ang recruiter ang kanilang kasalanan dahil sa napakadaming Pilipino na nabibiktima at mabibiktima pa."

'Virtual slavery'

Hontiveros expressed dismay over Paulo's account.

"'Di lang pala tumuloy ang pastillas, lumala pa at naging mas creative pa at para saan? Para gawing pa-in ang ating kababayan ng Chinese mafia para sapilitang gawing scammer na nangungulimbat ng pera mula sa mga inosenteng mga tao," she said.

"Di ko alam paano to nasisikmura. Ang nangyayari yung gumagawa nito at nagbibigay daan sa ganito are leading our people to a slow death at tsaka virtual slavery," she added.

She then asked Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco if this report has been brought to their attention.

Although he said they are "not fully aware of this modus operandi," Tansingco said he heard about four attempts of the same illegal operation.

Looking at the photo of the BI stamp on Paulo's passport in Hontiveros' presentation, Tansingco said the stamp used was "obviously fake."

Senator Raffy Tulfo then said that the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) should be the first one to be questioned, as the ID pass provided to Paulo was issued by the agency.

"Imbestigahan natin sino nag-issue ng passes na yon. I'm sure may kasabwat na sindikato sa loob," Tulfo said.

Hontiveros said MIAA's manager was invited but was not able to attend the hearing due to COVID-19.

Tulfo quickly interjected that this shows the MIAA is "guilty."

“Guilty. As simple as that. Put it on record sinabihan ko silang guilty," Tulfo said.

At this point, Tansingco said MIAA was able to intercept four passengers being put through the same process on October 31, November 6 and November 16.

Tulfo then raised the possibility of the recruiters having an accomplice within the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

"Ang problema dito kung  kasabwat 'yung mga nasa loob ng airport na supposed to be member ng IACAT then we have a big problem here…Doon po talaga nakita ko ang problema na may kasabwat na sindikato sa loob ng MIAA na nag-issue ng passes para ma-bypass nila itong Immigration. I don't think may problema tayo sa BI. I think taga-MIAA personnel na kasabwat ng sindikato," he said.

Tulfo then urged the IACAT to strengthen their measures and their monitoring to catch those involved in the scheme.

Baby's account

Meanwhile, another human trafficking victim, using the pseudonym "Baby," also testified before the Senate panel about the abuse that she had gone through in Myanmar.

Baby said she had been offered a call center job in Thailand in April 2022.

In the same month, Baby described the circuitous route they took to the job: first they traveled from Manila to Zamboanga by plane. After three days in Zamboanga, they took a boat to Tawi-Tawi, where another boat took them to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah. From there, they spent the night in a hut and the next day were taken to Miri in Sarawak, changing vehicles three times. In Miri they stayed in a hotel for three days before being moved to an apartment, where they stayed for a month. From there they were brought to Kuala Lumpur, and then to Bangkok. In Bangkok, they were brought to a forest or jungle, changing vehicles again several times throughout the trip. Then they crossed a river and reached a compound.

"Nagsimula na kami sa trabaho. Ang akala namin ay call center ang aming trabaho. Binigyan kami ng profile picture na aming gagamitin. Kakausapin namin ang mga client, kakaibiganin at hihikayatin na mag-invest sa cryptocurrency. Kailangan namin sila utuin. Scammer pala ang trabaho namin," she said.

Baby then went on to describe physical abuse at the hands of the people keeping her there.

"Maayos ang kanilang trato sa amin noong una.  Ngunit nakakaranas na ako ng pananakit nila. Noong unang beses ay pinagalitan ako dahil mabagal daw ako sa pag-swipe kaya labing-limang oras ako na pinatayo," she shared.

If they didn't follow their employers' orders, Baby said, they were put inside a black room.

"Pinagbubuhat din ako ng mga brick stone ng apat na oras. Kung hindi latigo ay kukuryentihin ka. Pagkababa ng brick stone ay papatakbuhin ka. Kapag mabagal ka tumakbo ay babatuhin ka ng bola ng basketball," she said.

"Noong nakakulong ako sa black room, apat na pandesal at isang bote ng mineral water lang ang ibinibigay sa aking pagkain. Pagkain na ito para sa buong araw. Bago ibigay sa akin ay kinukuryente ako," she added.

The physical abuse went on for two months, prompting her to beg her recruiter to release her from the place where they were working.

Because she has not received her salary, Baby said her fellow Filipinos there chipped in so she could return to the Philippines. — BM, GMA Integrated News