MANILA – The Philippine government is moving to hold accountable the recruiters who lured Filipino nationals into a cyber scam operation uncovered in Laos, vowing to file charges against those responsible.
Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said authorities will work with the Department of Justice to build cases once the victims, numbering at least 129 so far, return home from Laos.
“DMW particularly stands ready to help upon arrival of the… I would call them victims of illegal recruitment and human trafficking,” Cacdac said at a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday. “We will get the statements of the victims to pinpoint who recruited them here in the Philippines and file the necessary charges.”
The crackdown earlier this month in Laos’ Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone led to the arrest of over 700 foreign nationals, many of whom had allegedly been lured to the area under false promises of legitimate work only to be forced into participating in online scams.
While around 75 Filipinos are still being processed for repatriation, seven have already returned to the Philippines. Cacdac said they will receive assistance in line with directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The DMW secretary also used the occasion to warn the public against falling prey to unlicensed recruiters promising jobs in other Southeast Asian countries, stressing the importance of going through proper channels overseen by his agency.
“You need a contract that will go through the DMW for clearance. That is important so that you won’t fall victim to an illegal recruiter,” Cacdac said, noting that the visa-free arrangement for Filipinos in some regional states only applies to tourism, not employment.
