120 distressed OFWs repatriated — IACAT

About 120 distressed overseas Filipinos (OFs) who fell victim to human trafficking in Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia were safely repatriated to the Philippines, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) said Monday.

Of the 120 individuals, 77 were rescued from Laos, 37 from Myanmar, and five from Cambodia. The repatriation flights landed in the country from July 31 to August 9.

Authorities said some of the victims were lured through fake job offers online, promising high wages.

However, they were forced to work as scammers in love scam hubs and were subjected to isolation and physical abuse should they fail to meet their daily requirement of three clients.

“Most of the traffickers conduct their recruitment activities online and it's challenging to trace their identities. Nevertheelss, IACAT member-agencies are working hard to arrest these perpetrators,” said DMW Assistant Secretary Jerome Alcantara.

“We're also investing heavily in information dissemination to warn the public,” Alcantara said.

The repatriated workers received financial, medical, and psychosocial assistance upon their arrival. They were also provided with accommodation pending their return to their home provinces.

Meanwhile, the IACAT said more distressed Filipinos were expected to arrive in the country in the coming days. Some OFWs were expected to be repatriated from Baghdad on August 17 and from Nigeria and Kurdistan on August 18.  — BAP, GMA Integrated News