Arrest of female trafficker hailed
AN alleged human trafficker was arrested by members of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).
The arrest of the female recruiter earned praise from Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco who thanked the IACAT for their swift action on the complaints after the suspect allegedly facilitated the travel of five human trafficking victims.
The victims were intercepted last July 30 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 after attempting to depart as tourists bound for Malaysia and Singapore.
They underwent secondary inspection and were interviewed by the immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES).
During the interview, they admitted that they were recruited to work abroad as massage therapists, entertainers, tutors, and caregivers and were made to pose by their recruiter as her employees.
The National Bureau of Investigation – International Airport Investigation Division (NBI-IAID) had already filed cases against the suspect for violation of Republic Act No. 9208 for Qualified Trafficking in Persons, Illegal Recruitment committed by a syndicate and in large scale under Republic Act No. 8042, as amended, and Estafa under Art. 315, par. 2(a) of the Revised Penal Code.
The female recruiter previously made headlines on social media after posting last May 10 about her complaint on the procedures of the Bureau.
In her Facebook post, she lamented why she was being stopped from traveling despite having complete documents.
