Manila: A 50-year-old Filipina was recently intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 after she was found to be a potential victim of human trafficking, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Tuesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Bureau said the victim initially declared that she was traveling to Bangkok, Thailand for a four-day vacation and was scheduled to depart on board a Philippine Airlines flight last July 27. However, during secondary inspection conducted by the BI's Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES), she later admitted that her actual destination was Russia for employment.

Further questioning revealed that she had paid PHP170,000 to facilitators who allegedly arranged her recruitment and travel. The passenger was immediately turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation and the provision of appropriate assistance.

Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the case highlights the continuing efforts of traffickers and illegal recruiters to disguise overseas employment as leisure travel. "Human traffickers and illegal recruiters continue to exploit Filipinos by coaching them to pose as tourists and conceal their true intentions. Our immigration officers remain vigilant in detecting these schemes to protect our kababayans from exploitation abroad," he added.

At the same time, the BI chief reiterated his call for would-be overseas Filipino workers to only transact with concerned government agencies. "We urge the public to verify overseas job offers through legitimate government channels and never pay large sums to unauthorized recruiters," said Viado.