BI stops 6 suspected trafficking victims from flying to South Korea

Immigration authorities have blocked six women they suspect of being victims of human trafficking from leaving the country to work as nightclub entertainers in South Korea.

The women, who allegedly bore "bogus travel papers," were intercepted at the Clark International Airport before they could board a flight to Incheon last November 8, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced in a Thursday press statement.

While initial investigation purportedly showed the women held entertainer's visas issued by the Korean embassy, it revealed their overseas employment certificates (OEC) were "dubious" and that details in their papers did not match their records in the BI database, the statement said.

The women allegedly said a "fixer" named Mercy, who supposedly lives in Cavite, processed their travel documents. The BI said they claimed to have obtained their OEC printouts online "by entering information provided by the said fixer."

The intercepted passengers, whose identities were not divulged in accordance with anti-trafficking laws, have been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for investigation and assistance, the BI said.

The bureau added that the incident has prompted Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente to alert BI personnel in international ports all over the country "on the recurring modus operandi of the syndicate responsible for victimizing women who wish to work in Korea."

Details on the Morente directive were not immediately available. — Nicole-Anne C. Lagrimas/BM, GMA News