JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has expressed his full support to the Bureau of Immigration’s (BI) ongoing investigation into the alleged involvement of its personnel in human trafficking that has so far resulted in the relief of three of its employees.
“It is already under investigation even before several names came out,” Remulla told reporters following the BI’s confirmation that two of its personnel have been relieved from their posts pending investigation into their alleged illegal activities.
BI spokesman Dana Sandoval disclosed on Wednesday that Commissioner Norman Tansingco has ordered the relief of two immigration officers after receiving intelligence reports that they have been involved in trafficking activities at the Clark International Airport (CIA) and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).
“We have received information that the two have links to trafficking syndicates. We are initiating an investigation to verify this information, and if there is indeed probable cause, we shall file the appropriate case before the Department of Justice [DOJ],” Tansingco said.
He added that as a preventive measure, the two subject personnel will be temporarily assigned to back-end office duties pending the investigation.
Sandoval said another BI personnel assigned at the Clark International Airport was ordered relieved pending investigation on his alleged links with human trafficking syndicates.
“This is a continuing investigation and we will also look into the role of recruiters in these human trafficking activities. If there are names of recruiters that will come out from the investigation, then we will refer it to the proper investigating agency under the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking [IACAT],” Sandoval said.
Earlier, Senator Risa Hontiveros disclosed that several overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who were promised jobs in Thailand were trafficked into Myanmar to become crypto scammers of a Chinese syndicate based in Shwe Kokko, a town in Kayin State of Myanmar.
She lamented that unscrupulous individuals continue to victimize OFWs even after the inquiries conducted by the Senate into the “pastillas” scam and other human trafficking schemes.
Last Wednesday, Hontiveros disclosed that Filipinos were also being illegally trafficked to Cambodia to work as crypto-scammers.
“Fact-finding investigation about this human trafficking to Cambodia is ongoing. We haven’t stopped trying to find out and going to the bottom of the facts. We have to know how deep it went,” Remulla said.