By Rodolfo Dacleson II
(May 4, 2025) – A labor expert on Sunday urged the government to conduct an awareness campaign amid the rising cases of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) trafficked to scam hubs in Southeast Asia.
Benjamin Velasco, an assistant professor at the School of Labor and Industrial Relations of the University of the Philippines, said it should be the “baseline response.”
“Trafficking passes through backdoor entries, even formal agreements cannot completely stop the operation of syndicates and flow of trafficked migrants,” said Velasco in a report from BusinessWorld.
According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), victims were lured on social media via supposed job offers for call centers and online gambling with high salaries.
However, upon arriving, they were forced into scam activities in Cambodia and Myanmar, among other countries. If they failed to meet the quota, they were subjected to inhumane treatment, including long work hours and torture.
“The government has a robust ecosystem for aiding OFWs,” said Velasco. “It is just a matter of operating it, from providing immediate aid to repatriating them back to the Philippines.”
In recent months, over 200 Filipinos have been rescued from scam hubs in Myanmar and Cambodia.
The BI said victims were usually trafficked through “backdoor” channels. An example is the Thai-Burman border, which is part of the so-called “Golden Triangle” in Southeast Asia, an area where illicit activities are prevalent.
Last month, Sen. Risa Hontiveros called for stronger regional cooperation to stop the spread of scam hubs in Southeast Asia, warning that Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) have relocated following the nationwide ban in the country.
ALSO READ: Hontiveros seeks wider crackdown on scam hubs in Southeast Asia
Some victims claimed that some Chinese employers in scam hubs even asked for ransom money in exchange for their release.
(PM)
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