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BY BOY RYAN ZABAL
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Saturday, January 21, 2017
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KALIBO, Aklan – Two female Bureau of Immigration officers at the Kalibo International Airport implicated in human trafficking were arrested.
They allegedly cleared four women — recruited for overseas work but with questionable documents — to depart for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Authorities intercepted the four women at the airport’s predeparture area around 3 p.m. on Thursday.
At the same time the Kalibo police, the airport police and the Interagency Council Against Trafficking collared the Immigration officers.
The Immigration officers were in the custody of Chief Inspector Terence Paul Sta. Ana, municipal police chief. Police declined to identify them pending investigation into their alleged involvement.
One of the four women told the authorities they were not subjected to secondary inspection required for departing passengers.
Moreover the police also caught three alleged illegal recruiters and two suspected accomplices.
A tricycle driver from Barangay Bakhaw Sur and a porter from New Washington town were accused of aiding the four women in entering the airport.
They were all detained in the Kalibo police station lockup cell.
The four women, residents of Isabela and Pampanga provinces, complained to the Department of Labor and Employment that they were recruited to work in Lebanon as domestic helpers without the required papers, Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales said.
Police further noted the women had no employment contracts or permits from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
“May text messages sa mga victims galing sa recruiter nila na doon sila pumila sa mga nasabing Immigration officers,” said Gonzales. “Ang kanilang mga passports ay kaagad na-stamp ng Immigration officers at wala na halos interview o mga tanong sa mga biktima ng human trafficking.”
The Bureau of Immigration has yet to issue a statement regarding the incident.
Meanwhile one of the alleged illegal recruiters denied his hand in the recruitment of the four women for overseas work.
“Hindi ko naman kilala ang mga biktima, kahit itong mga porter at tricycle driver, kahit makaharap ko pa sila,” said Alexander Panaguiton.
“Ngayon lang kami nagkita ng mga taong ito,” he added. “Pumunta ako sa Kalibo, sa piyesta, at sa Boracay dahil mahilig ako sa sabong. Napagkamalan lang ako.”
The Immigration officers and the alleged illegal recruiters and their cohorts were facing charges for violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003./PN
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