The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has warned the public against illegal recruitment to Albania after two Filipinas believed to be potential victims of human trafficking were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 last June 18.
In a news release, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the warning is in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to intensify the government’s campaign against the international crime.
The BI’s Immigration Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) reported that the two women, aged 32 and 48, were stopped from boarding a Cebu Pacific flight to Singapore after discrepancies were observed during the initial inspection.
The women, who said they were close friends, claimed they were flying to Singapore for tourism.
However, they were flagged early during primary inspection for failing to answer basic travel questions, conflicting travel itineraries, and inconsistent statements, prompting a referral to secondary inspection.
Upon further questioning, they disclosed that their actual destination was Albania—not Singapore—as they had been promised jobs there as household service workers with a salary offer of €500 or around ₱38,000 per month.
They admitted they were recruited through a Facebook job post and that their documents and travel arrangements were facilitated via WhatsApp, raising red flags typical of online human trafficking and illegal recruitment schemes.
“We are witnessing yet another case of online illegal recruitment, a deceptive tactic where workers are deceived by generous offers, but often end up working under exploitative conditions,” said Viado.
“As these fraudulent schemes persist, our efforts to combat them must remain equally relentless,” he added. “We strongly urge Filipinos to remain cautious and consult official government agencies before accepting any overseas job offers.”
The two women were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and assistance, while appropriate charges are being prepared against their recruiter.
