AGENTS of the Bureau of Immigration based at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport  on Saturday prevented nine Filipinos from leaving for Amsterdam on suspicion they were victims of human trafficking.
    
The BI-Migration Compliance and Monitoring Group said the Filipinos were part of a group tour of about 70 tourists bound for Europe via Royal Dutch Airlines.
   
The passengers, whose names were withheld pending investigation, obtained their valid Schengen visas from the Poland Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.
 
Airports Operation Division chief Ferdinand Sampol said the nine Filipinos admitted they intend to work in Italy and not to go on a European tour.
   
They said they paid P300,000 for the whole package tour, including the visa processing fee.
 
Sampol said the new modus-operandi of illegal recruiters is to use the Schengen tourist visa for deployment in European countries.
 
Authorities said their visa applications before the Schengen Embassy were supported with spurious documents.
   
The nine passengers were turned over to the NAIA Task Force against Trafficking in Persons for further investigation.
 
BI Commissioner Marcelino Libanan lauded his men at the NAIA for being alert against human trafficking.
      
“We are saddened that some of ill-willed Filipinos took advantage of their kababayan’s poverty and unawareness,” Libanan said.