28,000 Filipino jobseekers barred from leaving airport

Dubai - Many of them were stopped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

In an effort to crack down on human trafficking, over 28,000 Filipino travellers were barred from leaving the country from January to October, this year.
According to Bureau of Immigration (BI) Port Operations Division Chief, Grifton Medina, a total of 28,467 passengers were not allowed to board their flights during the first 10 months of the year after they were found to be non-compliant with requirements for overseas-bound passengers, The Filipino Times reports.
"What we are trying to prevent here is allowing the departure of victims of human trafficking and illegal recruitment. We are considered the last line of defense inside our country to protect our people," Medina said in an official statement.
According to immigration records, 23,239 passengers were stopped at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while the rest were stopped at airports in Mactan, Clark, Iloilo, Kalibo, and Davao.
It is also revealed that in August, four Filipinos were rescued from an alleged illegal recruiter in Clark after a German national attempted to facilitate their travel by reportedly instructing them to present themselves as volunteers, when their true intent was to work as caregivers in Germany.
"There will be no letup in our campaign so long as there are syndicates who continue to unlawfully send our countrymen abroad who are prone to abuse and exploitation in foreign lands," the BI chief said. While Immigration Commissioner, Jaime Morente, said that they will be on alert this holiday season as "illegal recruiters and human traffickers might take advantage of the influx of people in our airports".
Under the law, OFWs must secure an overseas employment certificate from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration before leaving the country.

• Philippines