MANILA, Philippines — About 118 Filipinos rescued from scam hubs across Southeast Asia are awaiting repatriation, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The Philippines sought cooperation from four fellow Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members in the rescue of Filipinos reportedly “trapped” inside different scam centers in the region.
Scam hubs operate online “love scams” where perpetrators create fake online identities to exploit the vulnerabilities of their would-be victims, especially those who look for romance.
The DFA said it continued to receive reports of alleged Filipino human trafficking victims (HTVs) still being held in these establishments.
The DFA provided a tally of rescued Filipinos who still need to be repatriated: six in Cambodia, 75 in Myanmar, seven in Laos, and 30 in Thailand.
“Out of the 75 in Myanmar, 14 are already under process for transfer. Our embassies are always ready to provide repatriation assistance and are closely coordinating with the authorities,” the DFA said Wednesday evening.
The DFA said that since January it has responded to 480 cases of Filipino human trafficking: Cambodia – 110, Myanmar – five, Laos – 61, and Thailand – 304.
“Our Foreign Service Posts (or concerned Philippine embassies) report to the host government, who then rescue the victims,” the Foreign Affairs department said.
For example, the Philippine Embassy in Yangon would send the names of concerned Filipinos to the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
The Myanmar MOFA will then coordinate with Democratic Karen Buddhist Army or Border Guard Forces.
“Then once rescued, they will be placed in the holding centers,” the DFA said.
The embassy will verify the identities of the Filipino HTVs and provide them with travel documents, “if needed since most of them had their passports stolen by employers,” it added.
“We remain committed to the rescue and repatriation of all Filipino HTVs that are working in illegal call centers in the region,” the DFA said.
It called on Filipino communities abroad to support government efforts to prevent all modes of recruitment and victimization of Filipinos “in schemes that lead to forced criminality and participation in scamming operations.”
Relatives of Filipinos who wish to provide verified information on their kin that they believe may be trapped in scam hubs in the vicinity of the Myanmar-Thai border may reach out to the Philippine embassies in Yangon and Bangkok.
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