According to a release by the Bureau of Immigration, six women were stopped at Iloilo International Airport earlier this month who were allegedly recruited illegally to work as domestic helpers in Lebanon.
“Upon arriving in Hong Kong, they were supposed to board their connecting flight to Beirut and end up working there as household service workers without the appropriate overseas work permits,” explained BI-Travel Control and Enforcement Unit supervisor Ma. Timotea Barizo.
The six were later interviewed, where BI-Iloilo International Airport head supervisor Ma. Lourdes Marian said the supposed workers admitted they were going to take on unauthorized jobs in Lebanon.
They informed the bureau that a certain “Alfred” was handling their documentation and claimed they were told work visas would be provided upon arrival in Beirut.
Barizo pointed out, they were tipped off through the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking action line.
“Reports like these are really valuable,” she explained. “They help us immediately identify the victims and conduct rescue operations.”/WDJ