Eight Filipinos have been turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for debriefing, profiling, and documentation, and to be subjected to mandatory quarantine and COVID-19 testing. They will then be provided with the necessary assistance and support.

The DFA also reminded Filipinos both in the Philippines and abroad to be cautious of spurious jobs offered through social media to avoid falling victim to illegal recruitment and human trafficking schemes. “It is vital to pass through the legal deployment processes in the Philippines and arrive in their countries of destination not as tourists but with actual working visas,” it said.

DFA Acting Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose A. de Vega commended the joint efforts of the Philippine Embassy in Yangon, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, the Bureau of Immigration, and other Philippine law enforcement agencies in their work behind the scenes to ensure the safety of overseas Filipinos and clamp down on the trafficking and scamming activities in mainland Southeast Asia. He also acknowledged and expressed his appreciation for the key assistance provided by the Myanmar authorities in the rescue efforts.