The anti-trafficking operation took place Thursday in Mabalacat, 90 km north of Manila, said Michelle Sabino, spokeswoman for the Philippine National Police's Cybercrime Unit.
The 1,090 people held captive were mainly Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesians lured to the Philippines under miraculous promises of all kinds, according to police. They also included Filipinos, Malaysians, Thais, Taiwanese, Hong Kongers, Burmese and Nepalese.
Their passports were confiscated and forced to work 18 hours a day before reaching their dormitories, never allowed to leave. "They were like prisoners without cells. They weren't even allowed to talk to their dormitory mates," Sabino told AFP.
Workers were trained to trick foreigners into buying cryptocurrencies, or transferring money after establishing false romantic relationships with the victims.
"They were talking about building a future together. Let's buy a house, a car, invest together, start a business...", said Ms. Sabino.
Twelve people suspected of being at the head of this network were arrested. They are seven Chinese, four Indonesians and one Malaysian, according to Sabino.
In April, Philippine Senator Risa Hontiveros denounced the presence in the Philippines of "fraudulent call centers" employing foreign victims of human trafficking.
An immigration official urged particular attention to be wary of international events, which are an opportunity for human traffickers to find victims.
"We saw victims who came for a beauty contest and ended up sent overseas by traffickers," Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said.
For the same reasons, he also urged Filipino athletes preparing to travel to Cambodia for the Southeast Asian Games, which run until May 17, to exercise extreme caution.
© 2023 AFP