AUTHORITIES of the Ministry of Social Services and Development in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MSSD-BARMM) reported that sixteen persons, including two minors, from Talibon, Bohol were rescued from alleged human trafficking scheme, online Bohol Island News said.
The alleged victims was enticed to work as fishers in Tawi-tawi with P20,000 cash advance, Jan Michelle Agata, MSSD-BARMM’s focal person for the Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons said.
“This is a clear case of debt bondage, which is a form of human trafficking. They were not paid for six months and were told they couldn’t leave unless they paid off the so-called cash advance—making it appear they owed their employer,” Agata said.
The victims are said to have suffered poor working conditions, including food scarcity and threats, and were held in the remote municipality of Languyan.
The rescue operation began after seven victims escaped and were intercepted en route to Pangutaran, Sulu. They were turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) on June 16, after receiving emergency aid in Sulu and being flown to Cebu City, According to MSSD-BARMM information officer Jidday Lucman.
“Their accounts led to a follow-up operation that rescued nine more victims from a secluded area in Languyan, where access alone required at least ₱50,000 in fuel and supplies, Agata said.”
Police and Marine police Authorities led by MSSD Minister Raissa Jajurie, who have rescued the victims, filed human trafficking charges against the victims’ recruiter and employer, whose identities remain undisclosed.
The rescued individuals were turned over to Talibon town, where they are receiving psychosocial support, livelihood assistance, and other reintegration services. (Ric Obedencio)
