By JUN RAMIREZ
February 28, 2010, 3:24pm
Bureau of Immigration (BI) authorities foiled an attempt by the human trafficking syndicates to use the ‘backdoor’ in illegally transporting undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), it was learned Sunday.
In a report to Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, BI-Zamboanga alien control officer Sitti Rubiana Lutian said lawmen thwarted twice the efforts of human traffickers to use the Zamboanga port in smuggling OFWs to Malaysia.
Lutian said 16 passengers were prevented from leaving after immigration officers became suspicious of their intention in leaving the country.
She said 12 of the passengers arrived at the Zamboanga airport last Feb. 22, while the four others arrived Feb. 25 on separate flights of the Cebu Pacific Airways from Manila.
They then proceeded to the Zamboanga seaport, and attempted to board the M/V Danica Joy 2 bound for Sandakan, Sabah.
Libanan said he believed that the success of the BI in stopping the exodus of undocumented OFWs from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and other major ports may have prompted human trafficking syndicates to shift their operations to the South.
The BI chief commended Lutian and her men for foiling the human trafficking attempt, adding that it saved the undocumented OFWs from possible harm and abuse in their intended destination.
Libanan also ordered BI personnel at the Zamboanga port to maintain a high state of alert as the incident could be an indication that some human trafficking syndicates and illegal recruiters have diverted their operations to the South to evade the watchful eyes of immigration officers at the NAIA.
Lutian reported that when interviewed, the passengers alleged that they came from Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Pangasinan.
“They also admitted not knowing each other, but could not explain why they were traveling together or what their purpose is in going to Malaysia,” Lutian said in her report to Libanan.
She, however, declined to reveal the names of the OFWs, saying they are mere victims who were enticed by the syndicates to leave because of their poverty.
The BI has been actively involved in the government’s campaign against human trafficking.
Last year alone, immigration officers prevented a total of 4,517 passengers from leaving because of incomplete or tampered travel documents.
Libanan said many of these offloaded passengers fit the profile of Filipinos who might have been lured by human trafficking syndicates with promises of jobs abroad, but will only find themselves exploited or in trouble.
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/245548/bi-stops-human-traffickers-south
