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MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) has rescued over 2,700 individuals said to be victims of human trafficking in Las Piñas City, the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP ACG) announced on Tuesday, June 27.
PNP ACG spokesperson Police Captain Michelle Sabino said the raids were conducted in seven buildings along Alabang-Zapote Road in Barangay Almanza Uno. The anti-cybercrime spokesperson, in an interview with GMA’s DZBB on Tuesday night, said they received information that the businesses in the Las Piñas compound are allegedly involved in human trafficking and scamming activities.
Sabino said they were able to rescue 2,724 individuals – both Filipinos and foreigners. Among the rescued, 1,534 are Filipinos, while the rest are foreigners from Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Malaysia – and other countries like Cameroon. The rescued individuals are still being processed to determine who among them are suspects and actual victims, Sabino added.
The PNP ACG spokesperson explained that the rescued individuals are considered victims because of two reasons. First, the workers were not allowed to leave their workplace against their will, and they were required to work for 12 hours.
Foreigners who will not be tagged as suspects would be repatriated, the PNP ACG spokesperson said, adding that their priority now is to identify victims who would testify against the possible suspects. Sabino added they operated under a search warrant issued by the Office of the Executive Judge of the Las Piñas City Regional Trial Court.
Sabino explained that the businesses, where the individuals had been rescued, operated under the guise of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) operation. The PNP officer said some of the POGO operators are registered, while some are not.
The anti-cybercrime spokesperson said the employees were recruited though Facebook. Among the minimum requirements for foreigners are knowing how to speak at least a little English and willingness to stay in the Philippines.
Filipinos and other foreigners receive P24,000 in compensation each month, with free food and lodging. Meanwhile, Chinese employees receive a P40,000 salary. Sabino did not explain the reason behind the salary discrepancy.
The Las Piñas operation came more than a month after authorities also rescued over 1,000 human trafficking victims in Clark in Pampanga. According to reports, the trafficked workers were ordered to lure people into making cryptocurrency “investments.”
On June 2, the Department of Justice announced that it will file an anti-trafficking case against the individuals tagged in the Pampanga human trafficking incident. – Rappler.com
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