PH envoy to Cambodia: Tight security preventing rescue of around 100 Filipinos from scam hubs
Around 100 Filipinos who are still awaiting rescue from Cambodian scam hubs are not likely to make it home for Christmas.
Flerida Ann Camille Mayo, Philippine Ambassador to Cambodia, said on Wednesday that it was hard to get them out of the scam compounds due to tight security.
“As of today, we have around 100 [Filipinos] waiting to be rescued by the police,” Mayo told radio station dwPM.
On the other hand, 45 Filipinos were already in detention centers waiting for their exit clearances to be processed, she added.
According to Mayo, the total number of Filipinos rescued from scam hubs in Cambodia has seen a huge increase from the 78 recorded last year.
This year, the number may reach up to 500, including the 100 still awaiting rescue, she said.
Job offers
Based on the latest data from the Department of Migrant Workers, 2,021 Filipinos have survived human trafficking not only in Cambodia, but also in Myanmar and Laos. Of this number, 1,041 were females, while 980 were males.
Mayo said the victims were usually promised a monthly salary of $1,000 (P58,755) for working as a customer service agent and chat support agent.
“Don’t believe in such job offers, it’s probably from a scam compound—you might just get tortured and be hurt there,” she warned.
The DMW earlier came out with operational guidelines enhancing the referral mechanism in handling migrant Filipino workers who become victims of human trafficking.
Hannah Manalili, executive director the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (Iacat), said the new mechanism aims to institutionalize the response of government agencies and establish the foreign service post as the single point of contact for the victims.
But she noted that obstacles to investigating human trafficking remain, especially when cases involve the use of digital devices.
“We’re continuing with lobbying for more resources and capabilities … and training our police, prosecutors in investigation,” she said in a press conference last week.
Border conflict
A border conflict is also ongoing between Thailand and Cambodia, complicating the status of those trapped in the scam hubs and endangering the lives of those who work in the area.
Mayo urged Filipinos there to avoid military facilities because these are legitimate enemy targets under the International Humanitarian Law.
The border dispute between Phnom Penh and Bangkok stems from longstanding territorial claims dating back to colonial-era demarcations. The two countries agreed to meet on Dec. 22 to prevent further escalation of the conflict.
Around 230 Filipinos, mostly casino workers, teachers and religious missionaries, are located in border areas, Mayo said.
So far, not one of them has requested for repatriation, she noted.
“What we saw was that, there were people who wanted to go home for the holidays, but they found a way to get to the airport to go home,” she said.
