A Filipino who escaped forced labor inside a Cambodia-based scam hub has helped bring down one of the Cordillera region’s most wanted trafficking suspects, who was arrested upon his arrival at NAIA Terminal 1 in Pasay City.
The suspect, identified only as “John,” 28, married, and a resident of Los Baños, Laguna, was arrested at around 5:02 a.m. on May 31 after arriving from Cambodia, according to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
CIDG said John is listed as the No. 1 Regional Most Wanted Person of the Police Regional Office Cordillera. He was arrested based on a warrant issued by a La Trinidad, Benguet court on April 21 for qualified trafficking in persons, with no bail recommended.
Based on the CIDG report, John and three co-accused allegedly recruited the victim in Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet beginning November 25, 2025 by offering him work in Cambodia as a casino dealer with a promised salary of P70,000 and other benefits.
Investigators said the suspects took advantage of the victim’s unemployment and allegedly used fraud and deception to convince him to travel to Cambodia.
The victim arrived in Phnom Penh on January 5, 2026, but his passport was allegedly confiscated and his communication was restricted. Instead of working as a casino dealer, he was allegedly forced to work inside a scam hub engaged in illegal online operations targeting Filipinos, including love scams, investment and cryptocurrency scams, and phishing schemes aimed at stealing personal and financial information.
The victim managed to escape from the hub on January 11 and sought assistance from the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh, where he was given temporary shelter. He was later repatriated to the Philippines on January 23.
In February, the victim reported the incident to the CIDG Benguet Provincial Field Unit, prompting the filing of a criminal complaint for qualified trafficking in persons against four suspects before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office of La Trinidad, Benguet.
The court issued warrants of arrest against the suspects on April 21.
CIDG Director PMGEN Robert AA Morico II commended the CIDG Benguet Provincial Field Unit, Regional Field Unit 14, the PAOCC, Department of Migrant Workers, Bureau of Immigration, and other government partners for the arrest.
The CIDG said the operation highlighted the government’s continuing effort to pursue trafficking suspects and protect Filipinos from illegal recruitment, forced labor, and online scam operations abroad.
It said the Benguet unit continued monitoring the case after the filing of charges, coordinated with other agencies, and moved to arrest the accused upon confirmation of his arrival in the country.
The CIDG vowed to continue going after trafficking groups, illegal recruitment rings, and fugitives involved in the exploitation of Filipinos.