Manila, June 23 -- The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday reported the recent interception of a Filipino man who was allegedly recruited through illegal channels to work in Russia.

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the passenger, identified only as alias "John," 46, was stopped from departing for Hong Kong on June 20 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), after immigration officers uncovered inconsistencies in his travel documents and declarations.

Initial inspection showed that the passenger claimed to be a tourist traveling to Hong Kong for a five-day vacation sponsored by a friend.

However, authorities discovered that Hong Kong was merely a transit point and his actual destination was Mo...