By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – Seven personnel of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) suspected to be involved in illegal activities have been relieved from their posts.
In a statement Wednesday, Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the move aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to eliminate corruption and strengthen border security.
He said the relieved personnel, assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminals 1 and 3, are under investigation following reports linking them to the illegal departure of trafficking victims repatriated on March 25.
If found to have assisted the victims, these employees would face charges before the Department of Justice.
Based on BI records, the victims arrived in Manila on board a Philippine Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand after being rescued by the Philippine government from online scamming syndicates in Myanmar.
While tighter measures are in place, Viado acknowledged the growing challenge of intercepting trafficking victims at airports, as many now come from well-off backgrounds and pose as legitimate tourists.
The BI chief also reported that a total of 1,093 victims of human trafficking were intercepted in 2024. These victims were referred to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation and filing of cases against their recruiters.
Apart from pretending to be regular tourists, he warned that trafficking syndicates continue to exploit backdoor routes in an attempt to bypass stricter immigration controls.
Earlier this month, the BI reported the repatriation of three trafficking victims from Cambodia after being forced to work in a scam hub.
Investigations revealed they had no official record of departure, having been reportedly smuggled out via small boats from Jolo, Sulu, to Sabah, Malaysia.
The victims admitted that their passports were later stamped with fake Philippine departure marks before they traveled to Cambodia through Malaysia and Thailand.
2 wanted foreigners nabbed
Meanwhile, BI officers at the NAIA terminals arrested two foreign fugitives wanted by the Interpol who attempted to flee the country last week to evade prosecution for crimes they committed abroad.
Viado disclosed that the two passengers were intercepted on separate occasions at the NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 before they could board their outbound flights, after the immigration officers who processed them saw their names prompt a positive hit in the BI’s derogatory check system.
They were identified as 37-year-old Jaime Alan Strauss, an Australian, who was intercepted at the NAIA 1 last March 18, and 24-year-old Zverev Zakhar, a Russian, who was nabbed at the NAIA 3 on March 20.
“They will be deported so they could be tried and punished for the crimes they committed after which they will be included in our blacklist and banned from re-entering the Philippines,” Viado said
BI-Interpol acting chief Peter de Guzman said both Strauss and Zverev are subjects of red notices issued by the Interpol due to criminal cases that were filed against them in Panama and Russia.
Strauss is wanted by authorities in Panama for beating and inflicting serious bodily injuries on a man there two years ago, which caused the victim to be incapacitated for 25 days and permanent damage to his face.
On the other hand, Zverev was indicted before a court in Krasnodar City, Russia in May 2021 for fraudulently misappropriating the bank accounts of victims who were duped into revealing their personal information to the suspects.
Due to voice phishing scheme employed by the syndicate, the suspects allegedly earned 3.65 million rubles, or more than USD43,000, from the victims.
Ferdinand Tendenilla, BI Border Control and Intelligence Unit (BCIU) chief, said both foreigners were immediately committed to the BI custodial facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City where they will remain while undergoing deportation proceedings. (PNA)
