BI stops four Filipinos attempting to illegally work abroad

MANILA, Philippines —  The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it has intercepted four Filipinos attempting to leave the country to illegally work abroad.

In a statement, the bureau said a 40-year-old male trying to board a flight to Hong Kong was intercepted last August 31 after he presented a passport marked with a suspicious immigration departure stamp.

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The victim admitted to authorities that he was offered work abroad by a recruiter he met on Facebook, said the BI.

The victim said his recruiter demanded P120,000 as a processing fee and promised that he could bypass immigration without his intent being detected.

On the same day, immigration personnel were also able to intercept three more Filipinos — a 32-year-old female, a 27-year-old female, and a 24-year-old male — bound for Singapore who also had suspicious stamps in their passports.

They presented themselves as friends traveling to Cambodia for leisure but later admitted that they had been recruited to work as call center agents, with a P50,000 salary for a 12-hour shift.

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“Similar to the previous schemes, recruiters directed their victims to meet a supposed contact at a fast food chain inside NAIA Terminal 3. This contact would typically take the victims’ passports and boarding passes, then return them with counterfeit stamps,” said BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco, as quoted in a statement.

“These syndicates give false promises of greener pastures. Despite their appealing facade, their exploitative practices can lead to serious repercussions,” he added.

The four victims were turned over to the interagency council against trafficking, and an investigation is underway to arrest and file cases against their alleged recruiters.