3 human trafficking victims bound for Singapore rescued in Davao

Three Filipino human trafficking victims who were allegedly recruited to work as entertainers in Singapore were rescued by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) at the Davao International Airport. 

According to the BI, immigration personnel intercepted the three victims — aged 20 and 18 — while attempting to board a Scoot Airlines flight to Singapore. They initially claimed to be colleagues travelling for holiday, but further verification confirmed that they have been recruited to work as entertainers abroad. 

An investigation showed two of them were actually from Luzon and traveled all the way to Davao for the trip. One of the victims admitted her neighbor in Davao introduced her to a Manila-based contact, who facilitated their illegal travel. 

The victims did not pay anything for their recruitment but were told that expenses of 5,000 SGD will be deducted from their salary.

“This is a form of debt bondage,” said BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado. 

“This is a clear case of human trafficking, wherein our kababayan are made to agree to unfair arrangements. In many cases, women who are promised work as entertainers are later forced to work in the sex trade,” he added. 

The victims were turned over to the inter-agency council against trafficking in Davao. Authorities said they identified two possible recruiters that arrange their travel and are looking into two other immigration personnel that may be involved in the case.

“We commend the swift action of our immigration officers who thwarted this attempt to traffic women out of the country only to be exploited abroad. This interception shows that our multiple layers of security is effective in stopping any such attempts,” said Viado. —VAL, GMA Integrated News