Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) intercepted a 17-year-old girl attempting to leave the country for illegal employment in Saudi Arabia, officials reported Saturday.
The minor, identified by the alias “Zia,” was stopped at Terminal 1 on Jan. 24 before boarding a Philippine Airlines flight.
According to the BI, the girl’s travel documents and passport falsely stated her age as 25.
Investigations revealed that Zia, a resident of Maguindanao del Sur, had been recruited by a Pasay City-based agency to work as a household service worker.
However, during the secondary inspection, she presented a birth certificate confirming her actual age as 17.
Under Philippine law, the minimum age for overseas household service workers is 24.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the interception underscores the bureau’s commitment to preventing the exploitation of minors and vulnerable individuals.
The victim was turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for protection and assistance.
Authorities are currently preparing legal action against the recruitment agency involved in the attempted deployment.