39 FILIPINO TRAFFICKING VICTIMS FROM NIGERIA NOW HOME

THE Philippine government has successfully repatriated 39 Filipino human trafficking victims from Lagos, Nigeria.

The repatriates arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 in Pasay City on Monday night, August 18, 2025 via Qatar Airways flight QR932.

They were welcomed by officers from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), together with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA.

The repatriation was in compliance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to assist Filipinos in distress and ensure their welfare and safety.

The DMW said the OFWs return was made possible through the joint efforts of the OWWA, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and other agencies under the government’s One Country Team Approach (OCTA).

“The victims were among those arrested during a large-scale Nigerian government raid in December 2024 targeting cryptocurrency and love scam operations,” the DMW said in a Facebook post. 

According to the DMW, the Filipinos were falsely promised legitimate jobs as customer service representatives with a salary of USD1,000 for a six-month contract, including free board and lodging, but later forced into cyber scams and subjected to threats, withheld passports, and exploitative working conditions.

A young Filipina mother who gave birth while in detention, on Sunday was visited by Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac during his trip to Nigeria.

The woman was unable to join the group as she and her baby remained under medical recovery.

The DMW said that she will be repatriated soon with her infant once given clearance to travel.

The DMW said the Philippine government secured the release of the OFWs detained at an immigration facility in Lagos, after the Philippine Embassy in Abuja and the Honorary Consulate in Lagos assisted the victims in entering a plea bargain. 

Upon their arrival at the NAIA, the OWWA provided immediate support, including food packs, medical assistance, psychosocial services, temporary accommodation, and transport aid in going back to their home provinces and finally reunite with their families. 

Each of the OFWs also received P50,000 in financial assistance from the DMW’s AKSYON Fund.

Meanwhile, Cacdac assured the repatriates of the government’s full commitment to their reintegration.

“Utos ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. na makapagpanimula kayong muli at tungkulin namin sa DMW na paigtingin ang inyong tibay at lakas ng loob upang makapagsimulang muli,” he said.

House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs (HCOWA) chairperson Rep. Bryan Revilla, who was also present to welcome the repatriates, underscored Congress’s role in protecting OFWs.

“We will do what we need to do in the House of Representatives upang masiguro na maproteksyunan at mapangalagaan ang inyong mga karapatan,” said Revilla.

The DMW reminds OFWs and job seekers to remain vigilant against illegal recruitment and human trafficking schemes and assures the public that the Philippine government will continue to stand by its commitment to protect the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers worldwide.

The repatriation was a whole-of-government effort involving the DFA, DMW, OWWA, the House of Representatives, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Bureau of Immigration (BI), Department of Justice (DOJ), New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).