[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading tag=’h3′ padding=’10’ heading=’‘Human traffickers find victims thru Facebook’’ color=” style=’blockquote modern-quote’ custom_font=” size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ custom_class=”]
BY BOY RYAN ZABAL
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
Sunday, January 22, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_image src=’http://www.panaynews.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/region-social-media-entice-495×400.jpg’ attachment=’93775′ attachment_size=’portfolio’ align=’center’ styling=” hover=” link=” target=” caption=’yes’ font_size=’12’ appearance=’on-hover’ overlay_opacity=’0.4′ overlay_color=’#000000′ overlay_text_color=’#ffffff’ animation=’no-animation’]
Passengers wait for their flights at the Kalibo International Airport. The airport is commonly turned into an exit point of Filipinos hired by dubious recruiters for supposed overseas work. PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
[/av_image]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=’custom’ color=’#0a0a0a’]
KALIBO, Aklan – Human traffickers use social media in their illicit operation, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Facebook in particular has turned into a portal where they look for victims, said Arlyn Siatong, officer-in-charge of the DOLE-Aklan.
On Thursday two Bureau of Immigration officers, three alleged illegal recruiters and their two accomplices were caught in an entrapment at the Kalibo International Airport on suspicion that they were engaged in human trafficking.
One of their four victims was befriended by recruiters on Facebook with false promises of legitimate and better work opportunities overseas.
The victims, aged between 33 and 32 years old, were from Angeles City, Pampanga and Isabela. Three of them reported to the DOLE on Jan. 16.
“Galing sila sa Maynila. Hindi nila nakikita ang recruiter nila. Lahat ng instructions sa kanila sa tawag or text,” said Siatong. (They came from Manila. They have not seen their recruiter. They were given instructions only via call or text.)
“Dito lang nila nalaman sa Kalibo na papuntang Lebanon at hindi sa Malaysia sila magtatrabaho. Ang dala lang nila ay ang kanilang passports. Wala silang ibang dokumento tulad ng overseas employment certificate at employment contract,” she said. (They only knew they were headed to Lebanon, not Malaysia, upon arriving in Kalibo. Save for their passports, they had no other documents like overseas employment certificate and employment contract.)
That they had no working permits from government agencies surprised another victim, a returning overseas worker, said Siatong.
“Dinala namin ang mga applicants sa Kalibo [police] after ng profiling namin dahil naghinala sila sa proseso ng employment,” she said.
During the entrapment around 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, plainclothes municipal police officers and Interagency Council Against Trafficking personnel were deployed to the airport.
The authorities intercepted the four women at the pre-departure area before the latter’s 3 p.m. flight to Kuala Lumpur. They also arrested the recruiters and their cohorts: a tricycle driver and a porter.
“Ang tatlong biktima na nag-report sa atin at itong pang-apat na biktima ay doon na mismo sa airport nagkita-kita,” said Siaton. “We never expected na ganoon kabilis. Wala nang questioning sa immigration counters. Kaagad na tinatakan ang passports ng mga biktima. Walang hinanap na documents.”/PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
