The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) reaffirmed the Marcos administration’s commitment to bringing home distressed Filipinos, particularly victims of human trafficking abroad.
In a statement read during a press briefing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, the IACAT said it continues to work closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), and other partner agencies to sustain repatriation efforts.
The agency reported that 120 distressed overseas Filipinos (OFs) were recently brought home—77 from Laos, five from Cambodia, and 37 from Myanmar. Among the Myanmar returnees was a victim forced to undergo abortion to keep her job, and another who was raped by her Chinese employer.
IACAT said most of the victims were duped by fraudulent online job offers, particularly in cyberfraud and online scamming schemes, where they ended up in exploitative and abusive working conditions.
The government is also working to repatriate Filipinos from Nigeria, Iraq, and Kurdistan.
“These repatriations form part of the government’s ongoing mission to ensure that all rescued potential victims of trafficking are safely returned to the Philippines and provided with immediate support and reintegration assistance,” IACAT said.