Two Taiwanese nationals accused of luring Filipinos into online scam hubs overseas were arrested at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3, where five aspiring migrant workers were also rescued on Monday.
The suspects, identified as You-De Zeng and Hou-Lin Pan, were intercepted in a joint operation led by the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) with the support of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine National Police–Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC), Bureau of Immigration’s I-PROBES, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), and the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking (NAIATFAT).
Authorities said the five victims — three men and two women — had been promised jobs in Cambodia as “customer service representatives” with monthly pay ranging from US$800 to US$1,000. Investigators later confirmed that the supposed opportunities were fake and instead linked to cyberfraud operations rampant in Southeast Asia.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac commended the coordinated response and emphasized that the arrest sends a strong warning to trafficking networks. “The arrest of these illegal recruiters and human traffickers is our bold and firm message to protect our kababayan from exploitation,” Cacdac said. “We will not stop pursuing recruiters who prey on the vulnerability of our people.”
The two Taiwanese nationals now face charges for illegal recruitment and human trafficking under the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act (RA 8042, as amended by RA 10022) and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 9208, as amended by RA 10364).
The DMW and OWWA confirmed that the rescued workers, who were recruited through social media and messaging apps, are receiving assistance. Officials reiterated that continued vigilance and inter-agency coordination are vital to dismantling fraudulent recruitment schemes linked to scam hubs abroad.
