Illegal OFWs warned: BI can detect fake visas
BUREAU of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco warned illegal recruiters to stop enticing their victims to present visas for tourism when their actual purpose is for employment.
The warning came after the BI intercepted would-be human trafficking victims at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) wherein the victims were required to pretend as tourists bound for Singapore.
Upon secondary inspection, the victims were found to be actually bound for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where they were allegedly illegally recruited to work.
Tansingco shared that a 19-year-old female victim was intercepted at the NAIA terminal 1 last July 16. The victim presented herself as an employee of a local company in the Philippines.
It was later found that she was recruited via social media to work in Dubai for a club resort.
The following day, a 26-year-old female victim was intercepted in the same terminal after pretending to be traveling to Singapore for business to attend the APEC international conference on recent developments in business marketing strategies.
However, the victim later admitted to presenting dubious documents, which were all given to her by her recruiter outside the airport terminal. She was found to have a concealed visa to the UAE, where she was hired to work as a waitress.
“Our officers were able to access a system that allows us to verify certain concealed visas,” said Tansingco.
“In this modern day and age, the old modus of hiding sheets of folded visas can now be detected. Our kababayans are warned not to fall prey to this illegal practice, which only puts them at risk of exploitation,” he added.
