A total of 190 Filipinos rescued from various scam hubs in Cambodia arrived in the Philippines early Thursday morning, as part of the government’s continuing efforts to assist victims of human trafficking.

The repatriates arrived past 5:00 a.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1 aboard a chartered Philippine Airlines flight and were welcomed by Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and other government officials.

One Filipino was not included in the repatriation as the individual was undergoing dialysis treatment in Phnom Penh.

Cacdac said the victims were lured with promises of high-paying and legal jobs such as administrative clerk positions, but were instead brought to scam hubs, where some of them were subjected to torture.

The flight was arranged by the DMW in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure the safety and well-being of distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

They were escorted by DMW Assistant Secretary Venecio Legaspi, who led the DMW Rapid Response Team.

The repatriation was facilitated by the DMW Migrant Workers Office in Singapore and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through the Philippine Embassy in Phnom Penh headed by Ambassador Flerida Ann Camille P. Mayo.

Cacdac said around 300 more Filipino trafficking victims in Cambodia were still being processed for repatriation in the coming weeks.

He added that most of the scam hubs were operated by Chinese nationals, and several of their bosses had already been arrested by Cambodian authorities.

On the issue of illegal recruitment, Cacdac said the Department of Justice had already arrested 30 individuals involved in trafficking Filipinos to scam operations.

Based on the accounts of previous repatriates, some victims were able to leave the Philippines through NAIA and other “backdoor” routes.

With the latest batch, the total number of OFWs repatriated from Cambodia since 2022 has reached 877.

Upon arrival, the repatriates were set to receive financial assistance and livelihood support from the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), medical services from the Department of Health (DOH), psychosocial support from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and legal assistance from the DMW Migrant Workers Protection Bureau and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).