Hontiveros calls for global action vs. human trafficking

By Wilnard Bacelonia, Philippine News Agency

BACK HOME. Some of the 176 Filipinos, who allegedly fell victims to human trafficking, upon their arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Wednesday (March 26, 2025). This batch of individuals follows the 30 other Filipino human trafficking victims from Myanmar who arrved via Thailand the previous day. (Screengrab from DFA video)

MANILA – Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros on Thursday called on the international community to take coordinated action against transnational criminal networks operating scam hubs in Southeast Asia.

This is after she personally welcomed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Wednesday several Filipinos who fell victims to human trafficking in Myanmar.

“The Philippine government cannot do this alone. Governments and international bodies must collectively work together to keep our citizens safe,” Hontiveros said in a news release.

Hontiveros also expressed her gratitude to the Department of Migrant Workers, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Foreign Affairs for their efforts in repatriating more than 100 Filipinos who were rescued from scam compounds in Myanmar.

“I am deeply thankful to our national agencies for their tireless work in ensuring the safe return of our countrymen. I hope the victim-survivors receive the necessary psychosocial support and are included in reintegration programs to help them fully recover,” she said.

Hontiveros said the victim-survivors shared harrowing accounts of abuse, including torture, rape, and starvation under the control of Chinese scam syndicates in Myanmar.

“One woman was raped. A pregnant woman was beaten and electrocuted. Some were starved for weeks. It was like hell on earth. Our government must take every measure to ensure no Filipino ever ends up in that situation again,” she said.

Hontiveros first sounded the alarm on trafficking to scam compounds in 2022, leading Senate inquiries after her office helped rescue trafficked Filipinos from Myanmar.

Although Philippine offshore gaming operators acting as scam hubs have been banned in the Philippines, the senator said similar activities still occur in other countries.

She thus urged the public to be cautious of travel or job offers to Thailand, Cambodia, or Myanmar, particularly those found on social media.