Philippines finds trafficker bound for Macau posing as nanny

The Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration has shed light on the modus operandi of human trafficking syndicates after two female victims posed as the nannies of children who were traveling separately to Dubai and Macau in December.

According to reports from the Philippines, the two women were intercepted separately at Ninoy Aquino International Airport while accompanying minors, purportedly for the purpose of visiting the children’s parents.

The first interception occurred on December 17, when a 31-year-old woman was prevented from leaving for Dubai with a 16-year-old boy, while the other occurred on December 10, when a 42-year-old woman attempted to leave for Macau with a 14-year-old girl.

“In both instances, the women pretended to be ‘yaya’ or guardians of their minor companions. Indeed, these syndicates will stop at nothing in using every trick they can think of to skirt our ban on the departure of undocumented workers,” said the bureau’s Port Operations Division chief Grifton Medina in a statement.

The victims claimed that they had been asked by the children’s parents to accompany the child out of the country.

According to Philippines’ Bureau of Immigration, their records show the girl had visited Macau twice with two different women, while the boy had traveled to Dubai with another female guardian.

Immigration records also show that these alleged guardians did not return to the Philippines and are believed to working abroad without the proper documentation. LV