MANILA — A Japanese national and his Filipino wife were arrested over the weekend at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport for allegedly being involved in illegal recruitment and qualified human trafficking, as confirmed by the Department of Migrant Workers in a media briefing today, May 14.

The couple was reportedly targeting overseas Filipino workers by promising them jobs under Japan’s Technical Internship Training Program or TITP.

According to DMW Undersecretary for Licensing and Adjudication Services Bernard P. Olalia, they misled applicants by claiming they would be employed as factory workers in Japan, earning at least 120,000 yen a month. However, once the OFWs arrived, they were reassigned to different employers, which violated the terms of their deployment.

The investigation began after two individuals approached the Migrant Workers Protection Bureau with complaints. 

This led to an entrapment operation in collaboration with the NAIA Task Force and the Manila Police District Intelligence or MPI, resulting in the arrest of the suspects and the interception of eight OFWs—five women and three men—at the airport. 

The workers, who thought they were part of a legitimate intra-company transfer, were unaware that their deployment had bypassed DMW protocols, a clear sign of illegal recruitment.

“Ang modus operandi nung illegal recruiters na ito, kikita siya ng Php 30,000.00 sa bawat worker na dadalhin niya doon. Tama naman, matatanggap ng Filipino worker ‘yung nai-promise sa kanya pero not knowing na mas mataas pala dapat ‘yung kikitain niya,” Olalia said.

The couple allegedly pretended to be representatives of a licensed recruitment agency. However, DMW verification revealed that their agency was neither licensed nor accredited and had no registered job orders, which is a requirement for legal deployment abroad.

DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac stressed the illegality of such operations. 

“’Pag hindi dumaan sa DMW from the Philippine perspective, illegal ‘yun. And our illegal recruitment laws are so strong. Kapag nag-recruit ka ng walang DMW license for overseas employment, that's illegal recruitment, that's one count of simple illegal recruitment, at least 6 years imprisonment,” said Cacdac.

This recent event is part of a larger effort to combat illegal recruitment. Since the start of 2025, more than 200 people have been arrested for a range of schemes, such as fraudulent job placements in Cambodia, Myanmar, and Japan, along with the use of counterfeit visas and unapproved training centers, according to Olalia.

Authorities are actively investigating to find out if the suspects have previously sent other victims abroad.