MANILA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines warned on Saturday about the threat posed by sex traffickers preying on Filipino women by offering jobs via the social media.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is warning Filipinos seeking jobs abroad against sex trafficking syndicates using social media to offer work in Malaysia, Singapore and other countries.
The DFA issued the warning after the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur repatriated on Wednesday 27 Filipino women who were earlier rescued from a sex trafficking syndicate operating in Johor Bahru, the capital of the state of Johor in Malaysia.
"We urge our coountrymen to think twice before applying for the various job opportunities abroad that are being offered online," Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said.
Cayetano said there are numerous cases of Filipino jobseekers who apply for these online job offers but end up in virtual bondage in a number of countries abroad.
Cayetano said Filipinos who want to work abroad should first check job offers with the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) or the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) before applying for them.
Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Charles Jose said he directed Police Attache Senior Supt. Dario Gunabe to request the assistance of the Royal Malaysian Police as soon as the embassy learned of the situation of the 27 women.
Jose said Malaysian police immediately responded and raided the apartment where the women were staying in Johor Baru on Aug. 15 and arrested the Filipino caretaker who was later released.
In interviews conducted by the embassy representatives and the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC), the victims said they were trafficked to Malaysia and Singapore in four batches between June and July.
According to the women, they were recruited in the Philippines, selling liquor to customers in four establishments in Singapore.
They said they did this on a commission basis but were made to do sexual services as well.
"The women were mostly recruited through social media for work in Singapore, but were told that they will enter and exit the country from Malaysia but were there only on tourist visas," Jose added.
Jose reminded Filipinos wishing to work in Malaysia to be wary of job offers from recruiters who will have them enter the country as tourists but with the promise of securing work visas for them upon arrival.
Due to lack of employment in the Philippines, up to 12 million Filipinos work aboard to seek for greener pastures.
The Philippines is one of the world's largest labor exporters. The economy is heavily reliant on the remittances the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) send home.
