Man posing as pastor caught trafficking 3 Filipinos

The Bureau of Immigration intercepted a fake pastor at the Clark International Airport for attempting to traffic Pinoys "to work illegally in scam hubs in Cambodia."

According to a BI report, Immigration commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the man, who introduced himself as Pastor Falcon, was trying to travel to Bangkok, Thailand with three Filipinos on a Cebu Pacific flight. 

The “pastor” told BI the three men were his churchmates, and presented “a supposed endorsement letter from the congregation, saying that the three victims are members of the church who are passionate about serving others and sharing the love of Christ,” said Viado. 

However, when interviewed separately by members of the BI’s immigration protection and border enforcement section, the three men gave conflicting statements about the reason for their travel as well as their affiliation with each other.

When pressed, each admitted that their final destination was actually Cambodia, where they were recruited to work in a call center as agents and a cook. Although the men could not describe the exact nature of the jobs awaiting them, they said they were offered monthly salaries of up to P50,000. 

The men said they asked for help from “Pastor Falcon” after he claimed of successfully escorting “many workers” out of the Philippines. BI’s investigation revealed the "pastor" had traveled with at least one individual, who left as a tourist but remains out of the country. 

“It is disappointing how traffickers use religious activities as cover-ups for their crime. This fake pastor deserves to face cases for trafficking victims and making them agree to their offers, despite knowing the hardships that they will face in scam hubs abroad,” said Viado. 

The BI reported that the suspect and his three victims are currently being held by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, which will begin the investigation and file cases against the illegal recruiters.