Four victims of human trafficking return from Myanmar

By: Jane Bautista – There are 3 minutes

MANILA, Philippines — Four Filipino trafficking victims have been repatriated from Myanmar after being forced to work as customer service representatives involved in online scams, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

According to a report submitted to Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco, the last group of returnees who arrived on June 26 consisted of two women and two men in their 30s, the BI said in a statement Saturday.

The bureau added that the four admitted to leaving the Philippines disguised as tourists bound for Hong Kong, Thailand and Taiwan, but were eventually transported to Myanmar on a boat.

READ: 24 Filipino victims of human trafficking rescued in Myanmar

Trapped abroad

The victims said they intended to resign, but had to pay heavy fines before being released.

“Two of them were unable to receive their final salary, while the other two had to pay [penalties amounting to] more than P127,000,” the BI said.

Tansingco revealed that a Filipino man was the recruiter of the four trafficking victims.

“It is sad to learn that our own countrymen are facilitating the trafficking of other Pinoys. They are harming their own countrymen,” he said.

Despite numerous warnings from government agencies, the bureau said human trafficking persists as unsuspecting Filipinos fall victim to the traffickers' recurring ploy.

“Trafficked Filipinos are forcibly transported to cross borders illegally and go to a remote location from where it would be difficult to escape,” Tansingco said.