MANILA, Philippines — Eight Filipinos leaving for Cyprus guised as tourists were saved by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) from suspected human trafficking at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) on Saturday, the agency said Monday. The BI said the Filipinos — six men and two women — were intercepted at the Naia Terminal 3 before they could board a United Emirates Airways flight bound for Dubai en route to their final destination in northern Cyprus. The passenger initially claimed that she and her companions were traveling to Cyprus for a vacation, but her answers during the interview were inconsistent. All eight victims were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance and further investigation. With the recent incident, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente noted how illegal recruiters and human traffickers would go to “great lengths” to hoodwink Filipinos.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 17, 2018 07:30 UTC