By JAKE SORIANO
BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi—When authorities intercepted here 48 Filipinos believed to have been recruited by human trafficking syndicates for work in Malaysia, they thought they were doing the potential victims a favor. Little did they know the victims considered them villains.
The Bongao Inter-agency Task force Against Trafficking in Persons (BIATFAT) rounded up the 48 on April 10, its biggest single-day trafficking catch of the year. But there was no place to put the people in.
Because the local Department of Social Welfare and Development had no temporary shelter for the rescued victims, the task force scrambled to find one for them.
The victims spent three nights in the function hall of the Catholic parish church here. But the function hall only had tables and chairs. There were no sleeping mats and blankets for the victims, who included minors less than 10 years old and senior citizens. Everyone shared the same space, and some women complained about the lack of facilities for feminine hygiene.