BUREAU of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) intercepted seven suspected human trafficking victims bound for Iraq while trying to leave the country in the guise of being tourists.

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the passengers were intercepted at the NAIA 1 terminal last Jan. 16 before they could board a Scoot Airways flight to Singapore.

Tansingco said the passengers, all women, later admitted during questioning that their final destination is Erbil, Iraq where they were hired to work as janitresses with a month pay of US$1,000.

According to the BI’s travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) which interviewed the victims, the latter initially claimed that their clandestine trip to Iraq was arranged by a travel agency based in Manila.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Hector Lawas