By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, Jan. 6 (PIA) -- Six
alleged trans-national traffickers face charges of qualified trafficking in persons
at the Lapu-lapu City Prosecutor’s Office Friday after three girl-victims were
able to escape to Negros Oriental.
Visayas Coordinator of Visayan Forum Inc, (VFI) Romulado Seneres said his office assisted the victims in filing human trafficking case against the traffickers.
One of the victims, illegally recruited in Davao City, led the other girls to flee to Negros Oriental, said Seneres.
From Cebu Mactan International Airport, the girls reported the incident in the office of Sibulan Police Station and was referred to the Visayan Forum-Dumaguete and Negros Oriental Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Seneres said.
VFI coordinator said the victims allegedly decided not to ride on board the flight from Cebu to Hongkong via Cebu Pacific because they sensed that something was wrong.
According to the account of the victims, there were 17 women from their batch recruited bound for Jordan as domestic helpers via HongKong who flew with only tourist visas on hand.
The International Airport Investigation Division (IAID) of Mactan International Airport documented and noted the modus operandi of the human traffickers with Visayan Forum and heightened the alert for possible human trafficking activities in the said airport.
Their recruitment stories started sometime in December 2012 and the three victims were all separately recruited with different spotter-recruiters in Davao City with main recruiter in Makati.
Seneres alerted the public about the modus operandi of the said human trafficking ring which includes: no recruitment fees, free passport processing, all travel expenses to be handled by the recruiter, recruits will exit from the Philippines as tourists bound for HongKong with no check-in baggage.
It was also noted that the recruiters promised them: hotel booking in Hongkong, they will enter Jordan as tourists, a Jordanian-owned manpower agency will facilitate their placements, all documents from the Philippines except passports will be destroyed upon arrival at HongKong International Airport.
Seneres added the recruiters warned the girl-victims that all needed documents for Jordan except passports are to be hidden under their underwear to avoid detection from airport inspections, show money will also be provided by the recruiters and that all their passports, mobile communications will be turned-over to the Jordanian Manpower agency and while on transit, recruits are not allowed to walk and talk as a group; they can only communicate through text messaging.
Complainants further alleged that they were threatened by the alleged recruiters, whom they met before they left Metro Manila to Cebu through text-messages.
The victims are still under DSWD custody awaiting their transportation assistance for Cebu-Davao trip.
Davao Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking pledged to assist with VFI's guidance and monitoring. (mbcn/JCT-PIA 7, Negros Oriental)
Visayas Coordinator of Visayan Forum Inc, (VFI) Romulado Seneres said his office assisted the victims in filing human trafficking case against the traffickers.
One of the victims, illegally recruited in Davao City, led the other girls to flee to Negros Oriental, said Seneres.
From Cebu Mactan International Airport, the girls reported the incident in the office of Sibulan Police Station and was referred to the Visayan Forum-Dumaguete and Negros Oriental Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Seneres said.
VFI coordinator said the victims allegedly decided not to ride on board the flight from Cebu to Hongkong via Cebu Pacific because they sensed that something was wrong.
According to the account of the victims, there were 17 women from their batch recruited bound for Jordan as domestic helpers via HongKong who flew with only tourist visas on hand.
The International Airport Investigation Division (IAID) of Mactan International Airport documented and noted the modus operandi of the human traffickers with Visayan Forum and heightened the alert for possible human trafficking activities in the said airport.
Their recruitment stories started sometime in December 2012 and the three victims were all separately recruited with different spotter-recruiters in Davao City with main recruiter in Makati.
Seneres alerted the public about the modus operandi of the said human trafficking ring which includes: no recruitment fees, free passport processing, all travel expenses to be handled by the recruiter, recruits will exit from the Philippines as tourists bound for HongKong with no check-in baggage.
It was also noted that the recruiters promised them: hotel booking in Hongkong, they will enter Jordan as tourists, a Jordanian-owned manpower agency will facilitate their placements, all documents from the Philippines except passports will be destroyed upon arrival at HongKong International Airport.
Seneres added the recruiters warned the girl-victims that all needed documents for Jordan except passports are to be hidden under their underwear to avoid detection from airport inspections, show money will also be provided by the recruiters and that all their passports, mobile communications will be turned-over to the Jordanian Manpower agency and while on transit, recruits are not allowed to walk and talk as a group; they can only communicate through text messaging.
Complainants further alleged that they were threatened by the alleged recruiters, whom they met before they left Metro Manila to Cebu through text-messages.
The victims are still under DSWD custody awaiting their transportation assistance for Cebu-Davao trip.
Davao Inter-Agency Council Against Human Trafficking pledged to assist with VFI's guidance and monitoring. (mbcn/JCT-PIA 7, Negros Oriental)