PASAY, Philippines—The Bureau of Immigration (BI) warned of a new trafficking scheme wherein victims were made to pose as missionaries on a church trip.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado expressed his disappointment after receiving reports that traffickers are now using religion to evade interception.
He shared that immigration officers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 intercepted three individuals attempting to pose as Church Missionary members in a sneaky scheme last April 1.
The BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) revealed that three women, aged 23, 25, and 50, were attempting to board a Scoot Airlines flight to Singapore, connecting to Thailand.
The female trafficker and her victims claimed to be full-time church volunteers designated for a missionary mission in Thailand.
However, discrepancies in their documents raised suspicion, leading to further questioning.
Upon questioning, the two victims confessed they were not part of a missionary group but licensed teachers recruited for illegal employment at a school in Thailand.
The duo admitted they had been recruited by the woman they were traveling with, who claimed to be the founder and head preacher of their congregation.
The victims also disclosed they had not yet been hired and were asked to prepare employment documents like their transcripts, in case the school decided to employ them.
Officers noted the female trafficker had recently traveled to Thailand. A check of her records showed she had previously left with another group of passengers, whom she claimed were also her church companions, but had not returned to the Philippines.
“This case echoes the ‘Bitbit’ scheme, where a frequent traveler, acting as a courier, attempts to transport group of passengers under false pretenses, while victims are unknowingly coerced into illegal work,” said Viado.
The victims were referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance.
It can be recalled that in 2011, 6 Lebanon-bound Filipinas posed as nuns to evade being questioned. They later admitted to be traveling to work illegally in the said country.
Meanwhile, Viado praised the quick efforts of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in apprehending the recruiter of the three victims. The NBI on April 3, arrested the female recruiter after verifying with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) that she is not licensed or authorized to recruit workers for overseas employment.
“Joint efforts of the BI, NBI, and other members of the IACAT lead to arrest of these traffickers,” said Viado. “More arrests lead to less victims—this means that our kababayan are more protected from these predators that take advantage of their vulnerability,” he added. #
