The Bureau of Immigration (BI) urged aspiring Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to avoid human traffickers and illegal recruiters who would prey on their vulnerabilities, after the agency uncovered the recurrence a modus operandi of a syndicate that houses and trains its victims at safe houses before deployment abroad. Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente issued the reminder after two women were recently barred from leaving the country for misrepresenting their age and narrating their experience with the syndicate that recruited them. The women had alleged that they were kept by their handlers in a safehouse in Paco, Manila for two months before they were booked for their flights.

Morente instructed the bureau’s port operations division (POD) and travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) to conduct strict profiling and inspection of departing passengers to ensure that no underage OFWs are able to leave. According to Bureau of Immigration POD chief Grifton Medina, the two women, aged 19 and 20, were intercepted last Sept. 21 at the NAIA terminal 2 in their attempt to board a connecting flight from Dubai to Saudi Arabia. Medina said the passengers both presented valid passports, visas, job contract, and overseas employment certificates but the birth dates in their documents were intentionally altered to make it appear that they meet the age requirement for Household Service Workers which is 23 years. “Both women initially claimed that they were 26 years old, but eventually admitted their real age upon questioning,” Medina said. Bureau of Immigration-TCEU chief Timotea Barizo said that the women recounted how they were housed for two months at a safehouse in Manila where they were briefed and taught by their recruiters how to respond to questions from immigration officers. “We've heard this in the past, usually victims would be briefed a few days before their flight. But now they're actually housed for months to train on how to evade immigration questioning," said Barizo. "The two victims admitted that their documents were given only prior to departure, and that they were told to open it only after check in. This forces them to go on and comply with the scheme despite the discrepancy since they are already there,” Barizo said. Morente reiterated his reminder to OFWs not to fall prey to these schemes. "Transact only with legitimate agencies accredited by the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration)," he reminded.

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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) urged aspiring Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to avoid human traffickers and illegal recruiters who would prey on their vulnerabilities, after the agency uncovered the recurrence a modus operandi of a syndicate that houses and trains its victims at safe houses before deployment abroad. Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente issued the reminder after two women were recently barred from leaving the country for misrepresenting their age and narrating their experience with the syndicate that recruited them. The women had alleged that they were kept by their handlers in a safehouse in Paco, Manila for two months before they were booked for their flights.

Morente instructed the bureau’s port operations division (POD) and travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) to conduct strict profiling and inspection of departing passengers to ensure that no underage OFWs are able to leave. According to Bureau of Immigration POD chief Grifton Medina, the two women, aged 19 and 20, were intercepted last Sept. 21 at the NAIA terminal 2 in their attempt to board a connecting flight from Dubai to Saudi Arabia. Medina said the passengers both presented valid passports, visas, job contract, and overseas employment certificates but the birth dates in their documents were intentionally altered to make it appear that they meet the age requirement for Household Service Workers which is 23 years. “Both women initially claimed that they were 26 years old, but eventually admitted their real age upon questioning,” Medina said. Bureau of Immigration-TCEU chief Timotea Barizo said that the women recounted how they were housed for two months at a safehouse in Manila where they were briefed and taught by their recruiters how to respond to questions from immigration officers. “We've heard this in the past, usually victims would be briefed a few days before their flight. But now they're actually housed for months to train on how to evade immigration questioning," said Barizo. "The two victims admitted that their documents were given only prior to departure, and that they were told to open it only after check in. This forces them to go on and comply with the scheme despite the discrepancy since they are already there,” Barizo said. Morente reiterated his reminder to OFWs not to fall prey to these schemes. "Transact only with legitimate agencies accredited by the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration)," he reminded.

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Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) recently barred from leaving the country seven undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who attempted to depart in the guise of being tourists. BI Port Operations Acting Chief, Grifton Medina said the passengers were deferred to depart after being intercepted on separate occasions last week at NAIA Terminal 2 and 3.

“They were not allowed to leave after they admitted under questioning that they are not tourists but are actually going abroad to work,” He said. He reiterated his warning to those who intend to work overseas not to evade the travel requirements for OFWs by pretending to be tourists as “there is very little chance you will not be caught by our vigilant immigration officers at the airports.” Reports submitted by the Travel Control and Enforcememt Unit (TCEU) Head, Ma. Timotea C. Barizo to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente disclosed that two of the passengers were intercepted at NAIA 2 last Sept. 14 as they were about to depart for Hongkong. They were barred to depart after they were noticed traveling with a woman who is in the bureau’s alert list of suspected human traffickers facilitating the deployment of undocumented workers abroad. On Sept. 15, four Malta-bound “tourist workers” were apprehended at the NAIA 2 departure area after they presented questionable documents regarding the purpose of their travel. They initially claimed they were attending a symposium but later admitted during interview that they were hired to work as maids in Malta. They further alleged that each of them gave P500,000 to their handler in return for processing their travel documents and visas. Barizo also reported the interception last Sept. 17 of a Filipina bound for Istanbul, Turkey who was caught in possession of a fraudulent overseas employment certificate. All seven passengers were turned over to the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking in Person (NAIATFAT) for further investigation.

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This was according to Bureau of Immigration port operations division chief Grifton Medina. This was in relation to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have intercepted 16 undocumented overseas Filipino workers who attempted to leave the country by disguising themselves as tourists. The full story is below .

PASAY, Philippines--Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have intercepted 16 undocumented overseas Filipino workers who attempted to leave the country by disguising themselves as tourists. In a report to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina said the passengers were intercepted in two batches at the NAIA 3 terminal last Aug. 7 as they were about to board their Cebu Pacific Airways flights to Taiwan and Hongkong. One batch consisted 12 of the passengers who were bound for Taipei while the other group of four passengers were bound for Hongkong. “They all confessed during questioning that they are not tourists and that they were hired to work abroad by illegal recruiters,” Medina said. Information obtained from BI-NAIA 3 travel control and enforcement unit (TCEU) chief Anthony Lopez revealed that the 12 Taipei-bound and mostly women passengers admitted that their final destination is the United Arab Emirates where they were recruited to work by a travel agency based in Manila. On the other hand, the four Hongkong-bound women confessed that they were going to Hongkong to process their visas to China where they were allegedly promised jobs by a FilipinoChinese businessman. All 16 passengers were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation "These syndicates just won't stop," said Morente. "Many still attempt to leave in the guise of being tourists, some in fake group tours. We wish to warn our kababayan about this modus, do not fall for the sweet-talk of these illegal recruiters. They only want to profit at your expense," he warned. 

Read more: :https://borderops.ph/news/press-release/684-they-all-confessed-during-questioning-that-they-are-not-tourists-and-that-they-were-hired-to-work-abroad-by-illegal-recruiters-bureau-of-immigration-port-operations-division-chief-grifton-medina

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) deported a Korean fugitive wanted by authorities in his country for operating an illegal gambling website.

According to his report to Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente, Bureau of Immigration Port Operations Chief Grifton Medina identified the fugitive as 35-year-old Jung Hyeongwook, who left the country last Sept. 3 aboard a Philippine Airlines flight to Pusan. He further said Jung was deported a few days after he surrendered to the Korean embassy in Manila which earlier cancelled his passport. The passenger was reportedly issued a temporary travel document by the embassy to facilitate his departure and was later arrested upon his arrival in Korea.

Read more: https://borderops.ph/news/press-release/815-jung-korean-national-arrested-for-operating-and-illegal-gambling-website-should-be-placed-in-our-blacklist-to-prevent-him-from-re-entering-the-country-from-bureau-of-immigration-port-operations-chief-grifton-medina

PASAY CITY - Immigration authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have intercepted again two South Koreans who are wanted fugitives from justice in their country. In a report reaching Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime H. Morente that Koreans Hong Chan Woo, 24 years old, and Jun Juman, 36 years old, whose names are both in the Interpol’s wanted list, were intercepted on Aug. 19 and 20, respectively, at the departure area of the NAIA 3 terminal.

read more: https://borderops.ph/news/press-release/806-bureau-of-immigration-port-operations-chief-grifton-medina-south-korean-fugitives-arrested-at-naia