Palawan continues to be used as a transit point in human trafficking and illegal recruitment schemes, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported during a House budget hearing on Friday, September 12
DMW said at least 1,434 Filipinos were recruited to scam hubs in Southeast Asia through routes that include Palawan. Of that number, 332 were rescued from Cambodia, 387 from Laos, and 715 from Myanmar, even though Myanmar has been under Alert Level 4, barring deployment.
DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said trafficked Filipinos are being moved through a “backdoor” route that passes Palawan, Tawi-Tawi, and then Sabah in Malaysia before reaching Cambodia, Laos, or Myanmar.
He added that trafficking networks also use two other methods: recruitment by licensed agencies offering supposed customer service jobs, and the direct hiring of overseas Filipino workers already based abroad
“Marami po sa kanila, mga willing victims, in spite of the aggressive campaigns against the deployment of workers to these places,” Olalia said.
On the same day, law enforcement agencies rescued 15 victims and arrested four suspects in a joint anti-trafficking and illegal recruitment operation in Rizal town in Palawan.
Based on the Bureau of Immigration data, recent documented cases include a 34-year-old Filipina, previously a law enforcement officer, who used a clandestine route from Palawan to Kudat, then to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia in February 2025. She was forced into an entertainer job without proper documentation, later rescued, and deported.
In April, three Filipinas forced into guest relations officer (G.R.O.) work in Malaysia were repatriated; two of them departed in November 2024 through an illegal migration corridor via Palawan aboard small and medium-sized boats.
Another case involved on June 10, the Philippine Coast Guard uncovered alleged human trafficking via a Palawan “backdoor” route after responding to a capsized motorboat.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the agency already closed recruitment firms linked to the scheme and is working with the Department of Justice to prosecute recruiters, including those operating online.
Cacdac also assured lawmakers that the government follows the “non-punishment principle” for victims of trafficking.
“Ang tinatayuan po natin ay non-punishment. At mahalaga ang Pilipino, kung sila ay nabibiktima ng human trafficking,” he said.
