Philippine officials led by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Chairman, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, rescued six Filipinos who were victims of human trafficking syndicates in Myanmar.
The victims, four females and two males, escaped their abductors while enduring a grueling journey by land from Myanmar to Thailand, where they were eventually rescued.
The six Filipinos, whose identities were kept confidential for their security, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on May 11, 2023.
The Office of the Police Attaché in Thailand and the PAOCC worked together to rescue them, while the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the Philippine Women and Children Protection Center (PNP WCPC) provided legal, medical, and psychological assistance to the victims.
According to the victims, they were recruited in the Philippines through social media and were promised work as customer service representatives in Thailand.
However, upon arriving in Thailand, they were taken to Myawaddy, Myanmar, where they were forced to work in a love scam and cryptocurrency operation.
One of the victims managed to contact Police Col. Dominador Matalang, the police attaché in Bangkok, seeking help.
Matalang then sought the assistance of Undersecretary Gilberto DC Cruz, the Executive Director of PAOCC, who immediately dispatched personnel to rescue the victims.
The six Filipinos endured a long and challenging journey by land from KK Park and Century Park Myawaddy to the border crossing of Myanmar and Thailand.
They then crossed the Moi River by boat and traveled for another thirty minutes to a hotel in Mae Sot City, Thailand.
After a night in the hotel, they traveled for another eight hours to Bangkok, where they stayed for four days to process their travel documents.
The syndicate had taken all their passports, personal items, and other belongings.
Upon their arrival in Manila, the six victims received financial assistance from Bersamin to help them start anew.
The Executive Secretary ordered the PAOCC, PNP-WCPC, and IACAT to investigate the case thoroughly and identify the recruiters in the Philippines for prosecution.
