DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Four victims of human trafficking arrived in the Philippines on June 19, after they were deported from South Korea for illegally working as entertainers.
The Bureau of Immigration’s Protection and Border Enforcement Section (I-PROBES) in a press statement reported that the victims had arrived in the Philippines on a Jeju Air flight from South Korea after being detained for working illegally as entertainers without the required work visas in that country.
According to the victims, they were lured into a scheme by a Filipino who instructed them to meet a Korean national to handle their document processing. One victim described her experience: “I was offered a job as an entertainer and was instructed to meet a Korean to submit the necessary requirements.”
Investigations revealed that the victims communicated with their recruiters via the mobile app Telegram. The recruiters had promised them jobs as entertainers in a bar, with a monthly salary of Php 80,000 until their 59-day tourist visas expired.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco explained that due to their circumstances, they exceeded their allowed stay and were subsequently apprehended by Korean authorities. “Upon arriving in Korea, we worked as entertainers for two weeks. A fellow Thai national, married to a Korean, reported us. Afterwards, we were detained for almost a week,” expressed one victim.
“These women endured exploitation, detained without receiving their rightful wages, all due to deceitful assurances,” stated Tansingco. “We urge the public to remain vigilant. Deceptive recruiters often paint a promising picture but leave you in despair. If something seems too good to be true, trust your instincts,” he added.
