According to Olaliya, criminal cases will be initiated against recruiters once they are identified. The Ministry of Migrants Affairs (DMW) has already implemented a system to combat human trafficking, including a working arrangement in Thailand for joint operations with local authorities and close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). Recently, 12 victims of human trafficking from Myanmar were repatriated in the Philippines and received financial assistance from the Aksyon Fund, as well as other forms of support. DMW is focused on identifying traffickers behind illegal recruitment of Filipinos, who claimed good employment opportunities, but instead were delivered to centers like POGO in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.
"We are definitively aimed at tackling this problem and exposing those who are behind these operations of illegal recruitment," said the minister. DMW is ready to assist victims of human trafficking and calls on the public to be vigilant and verify job offers and recruitment agencies.
Those who have become victims of illegal recruitment or human trafficking are encouraged to report to DMW for assistance. "We are focused on ensuring improved practices that lead workers to illegal migration routes," added Olaliya.
The next reference is to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to ensure the safety of migrants, replacing Minister Hans Leo Cacdac, who clarified that one of the repatriated individuals was actually an illegal recruiter, posing as someone who arranged employment for domestic workers in vulnerable situations. This person was immediately arrested and is currently under investigation.
This case highlights the tactics used by illegal recruiters, presenting themselves as victims of human trafficking while traveling alongside legal workers during repatriation. Cacdac reminded the public to be cautious of online scams, noting that licensed recruitment agencies always have physical offices.
Olaliya also emphasized that other labor migrants in Thailand are awaiting repatriation, among them many of whom are still formalizing documents after fleeing from their employers and rejecting visas and passports.
