BI bars 7 Pinays from leaving

MANILA, Philippines —  Phl Bureau of Immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) prevented seven Filipinas from leaving for Iraq via Singapore on Jan. 16, the BI reported yesterday.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the Filipinas were intercepted at the NAIA Terminal 1 before they could board a Scoot Airways flight to Singapore.

The women admitted under questioning that their final destination is Erbil, Iraq, where they were hired to work as janitresses with a monthly pay of $1,000 (approximately P54,475).

The Philippine government has a long-standing ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Iraq, which continues to be plagued by violence.

Tansingco said the women were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation and filing of charges against their recruiters.

Their names were not divulged as the law prohibits the public disclosure of human trafficking victims.

According to the BI’s travel control and enforcement unit, the women said their trip to Iraq was arranged by a travel agency based in Manila.

The women said that upon their arrival in Singapore, they were supposed to board a connecting flight to Dubai or Qatar en route to Iraq. – Rudy Santos

They said around 30 Filipinos were recruited by the agency to work for the same employer in Iraq, the BI reported.