2 OFW INARESTO SA PAMEMEKE NG KANILANG EDAD

NASABAT ng mga opisyal ng Bureau of Immigration (BI) sa Clark International Airport (CIA) ang dalawang Overseas Filipino Workers na patungo sana ng Jeddah dahil sa pamemeke ng kanilang edad.

Sa ulat kay BI Commissioner Jaime Morent nina  Travel Control and Enforcement Unit officers Maria Clarissa Bartolome at  Kaypee Enebrad, pansamantalang hindi pinangalanan ang dalawang babae, pero galing sila sa Cotabato kung saan sinabi ng mga ito na 26 at 27 years old na sila at nakatakdang patungo sa Saudi Arabia via Qatar Airways bilang mga Household Service Workers (HSWs).

Pero nang interbiyuhin ang mga ito, ay hindi nagkatugma ang kanilang mga sinabi sa kanilang personal details

“It was later confirmed that they have misrepresented their age, and they admitted that their documents were merely processed for them by their recruiter,” ayon kay Morente.

Matatandaan na ang minimum age sa deployment ng HSWs ay 23 years old.

“These human traffickers are victimizing the youth by enticing them to agree to such schemes,” ayon kay  Morente.  “We have turned over their cases to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation, to be able to file cases, arrest and jail these recruiters.  Our kababayan end up in vulnerable situations abroad because of this scheme.  These recruiters are not stopping despite the pandemic, and this modus should be curbed immediately,” dagdag pa nito. (GENE ADSUARA)