ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 13 Aug) — Authorities here rescued 38 persons, including 4 minors, on Aug. 8 in what was believed to be a case of human trafficking, belated reports said.
Three of the illegal recruiters were captured during an inter-agency operation, according to Vashnel Carredo of the Zamboanga Sea-Based Anti-Trafficking Task Force (ZSBATTF).
Carredo identified the three illegal recruiters as Maejoy Bernaldes, Liezyl Bulosan, and Emily Moral, who happened to be at the port during the at the same time. They are now with the police and the ZSBATTF while investigations are ongoing.
Rescued at the Hji. Taha Wharf in Barangay Baliwasan were 38 persons, including 4 minors, who were aboard the wooden-hulled vessel M/L J-Sayang 1, a Philippine-registered boat bound for Taganak Island in Tawi-Tawi, Carredo said.
Taganak Island, the biggest of the Turtle Islands, is situated close to Malaysia, only about 35 kilometers from Sandakan, the second largest city in Sabah.
Carredo said 14 males (including 2 minors) and 24 females (including 2 minors) originating from various provinces in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao were rescued.
Eight were bearing passports and tourist visas to China, Carredo added. They were offered a monthly salary of 10,000 Chinese Yuan or around ₱79,000, he added.
According to Abdulmanan Samson, head of the 45-man Processing Center for Displaced Persons (PCDP), the rescued persons were set to head through Malaysia through illegal maritime routes.
Following their rescue on Aug. 8, the rescued individuals were transported to the PCDP facility in Barangay Mampang, this city, where they received medical assistance and temporary food and shelter. Psychological first aid were administered to them at the first instance.
Carredo said Prosecutor Alfredo Jimenez Jr., who leads the ZSBATTF is set to have the inquest proceedings. Cases are to be filed against the three recruiters, and others who have not yet been identified by the victims themselves, Carredo added.
The partner agencies behind the operation were the Department of Social Welfare and Development 9, City Social Welfare and Development, Department of Justice 9, Department of Migrant Workers, Women and Children Protection Center-Mindanao Field Unit, Zamboanga City Maritime Police Station, Coast Guard Station of Zamboanga City, the Naval Intelligence and Security Group, Zamboanga City Police Office, Philippine Center on Transnational Crime Western Mindanao Field Office, and the Basilan SBC 1st Special Operations Unit.
“This operation underscores the persistent threat of human trafficking in the Zamboanga Peninsula and reaffirms the need for enhanced intelligence operations, robust inter-agency cooperation, and comprehensive victim protection services,” the ZSBATTF said in its official report. (Frencie L. Carreon / MindaNews)
