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Tuesday, October 21, 2025
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Philippines Renews Warning on Human Trafficking After Four Filipinos Rescued from Laos

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The Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) has renewed its warning to Filipino citizens seeking employment abroad to be cautious, following the safe return of four Filipinos from Laos on 17 October who had fallen victim to trafficking.

According to the Malaya Business Insight, the four individuals were repatriated after initially being recruited for jobs in Brunei but were instead trafficked to Laos via Thailand. 

They had been deceived by online advertisements promoting high-paying customer service jobs in Laos, offering salaries of up to PHP 47,000 (USD 808) per month. 

However, investigations revealed that the victims received their employment documents, including Brunei work visas, contracts, Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) certificates, and Overseas Employment Certificates (OEC), only on the day of their departure from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Once in Laos, the victims were forced to work up to 15 hours daily without rest and were made to perform unrelated tasks, such as managing social media accounts for online scams. 

One of the repatriated workers reported being forced into illegal activities, while another said a former acquaintance had recruited him through Facebook.

The Philippine Embassy in Vientiane coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs to facilitate their safe return to the Philippines after the victims reached out for help. 

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the case highlights how human trafficking rings are increasingly exploiting overseas employment channels to deceive and exploit vulnerable workers.

He further noted that these traffickers show no fear of regulations and continue to exploit Filipinos seeking jobs abroad through false schemes.

The BI chief urged all Filipinos to verify overseas job offers through licensed recruitment agencies and official government channels and to be cautious of social media postings promising easy employment abroad.

The warning follows a recent pattern of human trafficking in Southeast Asia. 

Last August, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) reported the repatriation of 120 Filipinos from trafficking situations, including 77 from Laos, 37 from Myanmar, and five from Cambodia. In 2024, BI intercepted 125 Filipinos recruited through Telegram and Facebook before they could leave the country.

According to authorities, most trafficked Filipino workers are sent to scam hubs in Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia, often under harsh and abusive conditions.

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