6 Pinoys rescued from scam hub in Myanmar reunite with families

The six Filipino human trafficking victims who were rescued from a love scam hub in Myanmar were reunited with their families, Mark Salazar reported Tuesday on “24 Oras.” The victims recalled how they were recruited into the scam operation and the horrors they faced while working there. “Ano po ako dito call center, then nags-swipe ako sa Facebook then may nag pop-up sa akin na parang job po... Nago-offer sila ng trabaho abroad sa Thailand,” one of the victims said. (I was a call center agent here. I was swiping on Facebook when a job offer for Thailand popped up on my screen.) “Marami daw silang benefits na ibibigay and bonuses… Ang sahod na pinangako samin is P60,000 kung ico-convert sa peso natin,” a victim added. (They promised benefits, bonuses, and a salary of up to P60,000 when converted to our currency.) However, they were transferred to Myawaddy, Myanmar upon their arrival in Thailand where they were forced to work as online scammers. They were also made to pay penalties when they failed to reach their quotas, resulting in them not earning anything. The victims contacted the Philippine Embassy in Thailand last month but their abductors found out. In return, they were tied and ordered to ask their families for a ransom worth $7,000 or around P400,000. “Pinapayagan kami tumawag sa parents namin mga limang minuto po pero pag-uusapan lang po pera po. Pag may mali kang nasabi papaluin ka nila ng bakal,” a victim said. (They allowed us to call our parents for five minutes but that’s only to talk about the money. They hit us with pipes if we say something wrong.) “Ako po ang pinaka nabugbog sa babae kasi wala nga po nai-produce ang pamilya ko na ganung pera,” another victim recalled. (I was hurt the most because my family cannot afford the ransom.) “Nangutang po kami sa 5-6 para lang po mailabas kaming mag-asawa doon kasi kung hindi kami nagbayad doon talagang papatayin kami sa palo,” another added. (We borrowed from a 5-6 money lender to get us out of there. Otherwise, we would have been beaten to death.) The victims went to the Baclaran Church before going home to their families to pray for their safety and the security of other Filipinos who are still in the scam hub. “Hindi po namin alam kung meron kumpanya rito na hawak din po nila baka bigla na lang kami ipadampot,” a victim said. (We’re not sure if they have associates here. We’re scared they’ll kidnap us.) — Sundy Mae Locus/DVM, GMA Integrated News