MANILA, Philippines — Seven Filipino workers in Iraq have been flown home to the Philippines, the Philippine Embassy in Iraq said.
In a post on the embassy’s official Facebook page on Friday, it said it was happy to send off seven Filipinos in Iraq who were victims of human trafficking.
“They all ran away to the Embassy between February and April of this year…Many of them ran away to the embassy with nothing but the clothes they were wearing,” the embassy said as it thanked Iraqi nationals who donated clothes, luggage, and shoes to the distressed Filipinos.
“We also thank those who visited them to give kind words and counseling,” the embassy said, commending Filipinos for helping each other out, especially at times when embassy personnel had to attend to other cases in Iraq “from up north in Erbil down south to Basra.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier advised Filipinos to be “cautious of persons, manpower agencies or recruitment agencies that carry out their operations using social media such as Facebook, Viber or WhatsApp, offering jobs in Dubai or any other place.”
Filipinos who want to work abroad should consult with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) on job offers that they find online or in social media, the DFA added. /ee