More than 1,000 victims of a ‘scam hub’ earlier rescued by the elements of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) in Mabalacat, Pampanga are now being assisted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The May 4 rescue operation and implementation of search warrants on the alleged scam hub at the Clark Sun Valley Hub Corporation located at the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone in Mabalacat, Pampanga was conducted by various law enforcement agencies and members of the IACAT.

Of the 1,048 rescued victim-survivors, 129 were identified as Filipinos while the rest were of foreign nationalities who came from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

The victim-survivors were assessed by the social workers of DSWD’s Field Office (FO) III, which covers the Central Luzon region, to determine the necessary assistance needed.

The DSWD, as the co-chair of the IACAT, assisted and provided financial aid to the rescued alleged victims of labor trafficking.

Some 60 Filipino victim-survivors received Php5,000 each through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program of the DSWD. The remaining Filipino victims are continuously being assessed by the Central Luzon Field Office.

The foreign nationals, on the other hand, were assisted by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), together with the Department of Health (DOH) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The victim-survivors are temporarily billeted at the Tahanan ng Inyong Pag-Asa Center, an IACAT shelter and one-stop-shop for rescued trafficked victims.

The others are under the custody of the Philippine National Police – Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

The victim-survivors, according to the PNP- ACG, are willing to file a formal complaint or to testify against the alleged perpetrators.

The rescued victims were provided with packed meals from May 5 to 7 by the DSWD Field Office III, the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office Pampanga and the City Social Welfare and Development Office of  Mabalacat City.

As an active member-agency of IACAT, the DSWD will continue to provide comprehensive service to the victim-survivors to assist them in the recovery and reintegration to society. #