Three individuals accused of trafficking overseas Filipino workers have been charged following an inquest led by the National Bureau of Investigation–International Airport Investigation Division, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) announced on Saturday.
The charges were filed before the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office on April 24, based on the testimonies of seven victims who said they were lured with fake job offers abroad.
According to BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, the victims were promised legitimate employment but were instead trafficked to Myanmar and forced into cyber-scam operations. Inside scam compounds, they suffered physical abuse, electrocution, lack of rest days, and psychological trauma if they failed to meet strict daily scam targets.
The victims recounted being recruited online and instructed to pose as OFWs or tourists to bypass immigration checks. Many were initially reluctant to testify, fearing retaliation due to the alleged influence of the traffickers.
The victims were repatriated on April 23 through the efforts of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Migrant Workers, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia.
Viado emphasized that the case reflects President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to combat modern-day slavery and protect Filipinos abroad. He also thanked the Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for its crucial role in building the case.
“We stand with the President in the goal of protecting every Filipino from human trafficking,” Viado said.
