Manila: Immigration authorities intercepted and rescued a 17-year-old female passenger at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Saturday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the minor, identified only by the alias Zia from Maguindanao del Sur, was about to depart for Saudi Arabia via Philippine Airlines flight on Jan. 24 when Immigration personnel found that her travel documents, including her passport, falsely indicated that she is 25 years old.
Zia was recruited by a Pasay City-based recruitment agency to work as a household service worker in Saudi Arabia. During inspection, Zia presented a birth certificate showing that she is only 17, making her underage and ineligible for overseas employment.
Following the interception, authorities immediately coordinated with the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), which formally took custody of the minor to provide protection, assistance, and to build cases against those behind the illegal recruitment attempt. BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the rescue highlights the government's firm stance against the exploitation of vulnerable Filipinos.
