In a significant move to tackle the menace of human trafficking, AirAsia Philippines has joined forces with key government agencies like the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA). The collaboration comes at a crucial time with the “BER” months approaching, a period when travel is expected to surge as vacationers plan their getaways abroad.
AirAsia Philippines initiated its PAA-TALK session, an internal talk series aimed at fostering knowledge sharing and cooperation among various stakeholders. Experts from the Bureau of Immigration, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Manila International Airport Authority provided insights into their best practices for profiling, identifying, and managing potential human trafficking victims. The airline considered this topic essential, despite the Philippines maintaining its reputation as one of the top countries recognized by the U.S. State Department for meeting standards in eliminating human trafficking.
“AirAsia Philippines is one with the government in safeguarding our fellow Filipinos against human trafficking. There will be no room for complacency. To ensure the safety of our guests, we have 20,000 Allstars across ASEAN trained to identify signs of human trafficking during check-in procedures and onboard flights. We fully support the government’s intensified drive against human trafficking and understand the wisdom of our partners in its implementation to create a safer travel landscape for all. In fact, we too are strengthening awareness and training measures among our Allstars (employees) as part of our robust efforts to prevent and clampdown on trafficking across air travel,” according to First Officer Steve Dailisan, AirAsia Philippines Communications and Public Affairs Country Head.
Startling data from the Bureau of Immigration has revealed that in the first two months of 2023 alone, approximately 6,000 Filipinos were suspected victims of human trafficking. Alarmingly, only 0.6% of these individuals were prevented from leaving the country, while the rest continued their journeys to various destinations in ASEAN countries and the Middle East.
“We know that handling fraudulent travel documents happens before the victim enters the airport and even inside the terminal. We will intensify our monitoring and policing to save more Filipinos against human trafficking,” said Manual Gonzales, MIAA Assistant General Manager for Security and Emergency Services noting that NAIA Terminals 1 and 3 are the usual gateway used by human traffickers victimizing mostly women and children. For this reason, Airport Police are being trained to implement thorough inspection and surveillance.
Dana Sandoval, Spokesperson of the Bureau of Immigrations, commended AirAsia’s efforts to combat human trafficking. She said the face of human trafficking has changed throughout the years. She added the BI has also stepped up in its efforts to save human trafficking victims.
“We value our airline partners’ work in screening victims posing as legit travelers. For this reason, we also seek the understanding of travelers, especially those undergoing stringent verification by our Immigration Officials (IO). They should present themselves and allow them to be processed by our IOs,” said Sandoval.