Manila: Immigration authorities recently rescued 14 suspected victims of human trafficking in separate occasions at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 and Clark International Airport (CRK) Terminal 2 after allegedly being recruited to work in Russia, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Bureau said six men in their early 40s to 50s were rescued at CRK while eight victims were rescued in NAIA last Aug. 8. Two alleged recruiters, a male and a female, were also arrested.

The report added that the six men attempted to travel abroad via a Cebu Pacific flight to Hong Kong. The victims initially claimed to be on a vacation with former colleagues from the military, but had conflicting statements regarding the details of their trip. However, they later admitted that they were bound for Russia, where they were recruited to work and offered a monthly salary of USD3,000.

Meanwhile, the eight victims were rescued in NAIA after attempting to depart on board a Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore. The victims, composed of six males and two females in their 30s to 50s, also initially claimed to be on a business trip, but later were found to be heading to Russia, where they were offered high salaries, as well as Russian citizenship. The eight victims admitted that their facilitator was also traveling on the same flight with them, a male and a female who insisted that the trip was merely for business purposes.

All 14 individuals and two suspected facilitators were turned over to the inter-agency council against trafficking for further investigation and filing of appropriate charges against the recruiters. Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado warned aspiring overseas workers not to fall prey to such recruitment schemes. 'These recruiters will promise you high salaries and even citizenship, but victims often fall into distressing situations,' he said.