2 BI personnel relieved from posts over alleged hand in human trafficking

The Bureau of Immigration has relieved two personnel from their post for alleged involvement in human trafficking activities, spokesperson Dana Sandoval said Thursday.

In an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, Sandoval said the agency received intelligence information that the two were conniving with “external parties” to commit the illegal activity.

“They were relieved po based on intelligence information. Sila po ay temporarily nilagay po muna natin sa back end office para hindi po sila maka-hamper sa ongoing investigation ito sa kasong ito,” she said.

(They were relieved based on intelligence information. We temporarily put them at the back end office so they will not hamper the ongoing investigation on the case.)

Sandoval issued the remark when asked about the alleged human trafficking scheme in which passengers are moved from Thailand to Cambodia.

According to Sandoval, one of the two was stationed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while the other was assigned to Clark International Airport.

She said they have been working for the BI for at least five years.

“Kapag nakita po natin na talaga namang totoo na may involvement itong mga ito sa ganito pong mga scheme ay tutuluyan po talaga ito ni Commissioner [Norman Garcera] Tansingco,” she siad.

(If we find out they are involved in a scheme, Commissioner Tansingco will remove them from their posts.)

On Wednesday, Senator Risa Hontiveros said a human trafficking victim told her that she flew from Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Thailand. From there, she was made to ride in a van going to Cambodia.

When asked about the details given to him by Tansingco, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that some details must be worked out further.

“We have to work out the other details pa. Kasi nga [sa] simula 'yan ang lumalabas, yung mga concessionaire daw ang sinasabi. But we have to go beyond it,” Remulla told reporters. 

(We have to work out the other details. Because when this started, they were pointing at the concessionaires. But we have to go beyond that.)

Meanwhile, Sandoval reminded that the hiring of new Immigration officers will end on January 20, Friday.

“Tomorrow po ang last day nung application for new immigration officers. I think we are hiring 49 new immigration officers. You can just go po to our website careers.immigration.com.ph,” she said. —KBK/VBL, GMA Integrated News