(Eagle News) –The Bureau of Immigration has intercepted almost 500 illegal recruitment victims since January.
According to the bureau, a total of 8,413 passengers were also not allowed to leave the Philippines for not having the proper documentation.
The bureau made the statement as it hailed the rescue of what it said was another illegal recruitment victim and the arrest of a man it said was posing as an accredited liaison officer in Pasig City.
According to Immigration chief Jaime Morente, the suspect, whom, he did not identify, enticed the victim to pay more than P300,000 as placement fee to work in Africa.
The suspect, however, failed to show up at the airport during the victim’s supposed flight.
Authorities later found out the suspect had given the victim bogus flight details.
“This is a win for our kababayan who are victimized by these unscrupulous individuals,” Morente said.
“We encourage people to report these illegal recruiters and human traffickers, who prey on the vulnerabilities of aspiring OFWs. Let them face the harshest penalties of the law and rot in jail,” he added.