Three Filipino minors were stopped from leaving the Philippines after it was found they were set to fly to Saudi Arabia to become domestic workers.
Bureau of Immigration (BI) officials apprehended three Filipino women at Ninoy Aquino International Airport last Sunday after they presented passports with false birthdates, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.
BI port operations chief Grifton Medina said the three women made it appear that they met the age requirement for domestic workers, which is 23 years and above. The three women presented valid employment certificates, job contracts and working visas, but their passports had false birthdates.
The identities of the three Filipinas were not disclosed as the anti-trafficking law prohibits authorities from disclosing identities of trafficking victims.
Two of the women claimed they were aged 24 and 25 but they were actually only 22 years old. The other claimed to be 24, but was only 20. The Filipinas were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for further investigation.
Earlier, Immigration officials were ordered to be on alert amid reports that syndicates are active again in trying to recruit minors to work abroad, the report said.