MANILA — The Philippine government repatriated 346 overseas Filipino workers who had been trafficked and forced to work in online scam operations in Myanmar, marking the largest single group rescued from the Southeast Asian nation to date, officials said Wednesday.
The victims arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport aboard a government-chartered Philippine Airlines flight shortly after 3:25 p.m. local time. Upon landing, they were taken to a secure, undisclosed holding facility for processing.
“They are generally in good spirits,” Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac told reporters at the airport. He said the repatriates would receive immediate medical checkups, psychosocial counseling, transportation and accommodation assistance, and financial aid.
Of the 346 returnees, 127 have been formally classified as human-trafficking victims, while the remaining 219 were held at Thailand’s Mae Sot immigration facility after fleeing or being rescued from compounds along the Myanmar border.
The operation was carried out under direct orders from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to bring home all Filipinos trafficked into scam centers in Myanmar and neighboring countries, Cacdac said.
Many of the workers were lured by social-media advertisements promising high-paying jobs in customer service or online chat support, only to be confined in compounds in areas such as Myawaddy and forced to conduct cryptocurrency and romance scams under abusive conditions. Some were smuggled into the region through unofficial border crossings in Palawan and Tawi-Tawi.
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking Executive Secretary Hannah Lizette Manalili said National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police agents were on site to begin interviews that could identify recruiters and facilitators traveling with the group.
Since 2022, Philippine authorities have documented more than 1,900 Filipino victims rescued from scam hubs in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. As of October 2025, at least 222 Filipinos were still awaiting repatriation from Myanmar, officials said.
The government is coordinating with Thai and Myanmar authorities on joint operations to dismantle the syndicates and locate additional trapped workers.
Officials renewed warnings against responding to unverified online job offers.
“There is a proper process for working abroad through the Department of Migrant Workers,” Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Patricia Yvonne Caunan said. “There are plenty of legitimate jobs listed on our website. This situation is real, and it is dangerous.”
Returning victims will also receive skills-training vouchers from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, employment assistance, and reintegration support funded through OWWA’s emergency repatriation program.
Cacdac stressed that returning to scam compounds or irregular migration channels was “not an option,” adding that the government would focus on providing viable livelihood alternatives at home.
