Gov’t sustains efforts to bring home distressed Filipinos

By Benjamin Pulta, Philippine News Agency

FILE: Passengers at NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City queue at the check-in counter. (PNA photo by Yancy Lim)

MANILA – The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) on Monday said the Marcos administration is committed to bring home distressed Filipinos, particularly victims of trafficking.

“The IACAT, with DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), DMW (Department of Migrant Workers), at the forefront, in close coordination with other agencies, will sustain efforts to bring home distressed Filipinos from abroad,” the IACAT said in a statement read in a press briefing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City.

The Council said close coordination with key stakeholders and private sector partners resulted in the repatriation of 120 distressed overseas Filipinos (OFs), who are possible victims of trafficking in persons and related crimes abroad.

The IACAT said 77 individuals were rescued from Laos, five from Cambodia, and 37 from Myanmar, including one who was forced to agree to abortion to continue working and another who was raped by her Chinese boss.

“Victims of human trafficking were lured abroad through fraudulent online job offers, particularly in the online scamming and cyberfraud industry. Many were promised high-paying jobs but ended up being forced to work under abusive and exploitative conditions,” IACAT said.

The agency said the government is also working to repatriate Filipinos from Nigeria, Iraq and Kurdistan.

“These repatriations form part of Philippine government’s ongoing mission to ensure that all rescued potential victims of trafficking are safely returned to the Philippines and provided with immediate support and reintegration assistance through the IACAT and its member agencies,” it added.