MANILA – The eight foreigners apprehended for illegally staying in the country at a village in Muntinlupa City are set for deportation, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Friday.
Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, in a news release, said seven Chinese nationals and a Vietnamese national were arrested by operatives of the BI’s intelligence division along three streets inside the village on October 22.
“The homeowner association representatives of the Ayala Alabang Village were very helpful in helping us verify target areas,” he said in statement.
All of them were found to be undocumented — two of whom were also found to be overstaying while one was suspected to be an illegal entrant.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) earlier reported that items used for online scamming were seized from the suspects.
Viado noted that they have received information that smaller “pockets” of scamming hubs are forming after the closure of big Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hubs in the country.
“We have found reason to file deportation cases against them. They will be considered undesirables once their cases are resolved, and face deportation,” the BI chief added.
The operation was conducted with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the NBI National Capital Region (NCR).
Meanwhile, the BI intercepted another trafficking victim at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The 46-year-old female victim, whose identity is withheld in compliance with anti-trafficking laws, was supposed to board an AirAsia flight to Macau but was intercepted at the BI’s primary inspection counter last October 27 at the NAIA Terminal 3.
She initially presented herself as a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) traveling to Macau for leisure as a tourist. But, later admitted that she intended to work in Macau again without the proper documentation.
The traffickers reportedly charged a fee of PHP 40, 000 for the supposed escorting services, which turned out to be a scam.
The BI’s forensic documents laboratory confirmed that the departure stamp on her passport was counterfeit.
The victim has been turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for assistance in filing cases against her recruiters. (PNA)