Filipinos repatriated from scam hubs on rise

The Philippine government has recorded a growing number of Filipinos repatriated from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand after allegedly falling victim to human trafficking and being forced to work in scam hubs in these countries.

Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Angelica Escalona said the agency is alarmed as the number of Filipino trafficking victims from the four nations has risen to over 600 since the start of 2025.

"At present, there are still 148 pending cases of human trafficking victims in these countries," Escalona said in a recent news briefing organized by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

Most recently, the government repatriated 120 distressed overseas Filipinos who were possible victims of trafficking and related crimes from Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking reported that of the total, 77 were rescued from Laos, 37 from Myanmar, and five from Cambodia.

Many victims were reportedly lured by fraudulent online job offers, while others were promised high-paying positions but ended up working under abusive and exploitative conditions.

The council also cited cases among the Myanmar repatriates, including one woman who was forced by her employer to abort her child to keep working.

Data from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Task Force Against Trafficking show that the Philippines has repatriated a total of 695 Filipinos this year, most from the four Southeast Asian countries.

Escalona said the Department of Foreign Affairs is undertaking diplomatic interventions through bilateral and multilateral talks with Southeast Asian neighbors to address the transnational crime.

Assistant Secretary at the Department of Migrant Workers Jerome Alcantara said the high number of repatriations from these countries is linked to the presence of scam hubs.

"In areas with problems in law and order and insurgency, perpetrators take advantage of the situation to evade protection and law enforcement actions. Many still fall victim to scam hubs, and it's not something you can just walk into and immediately pull out our citizens," he said.

Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking Executive Director Hannah Lizette Manalili, meanwhile, highlighted the limits of government authority once victims leave the Philippines.

While bilateral and multilateral engagements with host countries are ongoing, Manalili said the council is also coordinating with its counterpart agencies abroad, as they are the ones "who understand the issue of human trafficking in these scam hubs".

"Although the process is quite lengthy, that is the reality. This is why we are strengthening prevention, because it is much harder to go after perpetrators once they are outside the country," she said.

Philippine Daily Inquirer