‘Phl status in US trafficking report a feat for DOJ’

MANILA, Philippines - The US State Department’s retention of the Philippines in Tier 2 status in its latest trafficking in persons report is a feat for the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In a statement, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima,   Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) chair, said the latest report is a recognition of the government’s significant efforts to adhere to benchmarks of the US State Department.

“The key gains that the report mentioned send a strong message that the government will not tolerate the reprehensible exploitation of Filipinos,” she said.

The US State Department report cited significant steps of the government, including identification, prosecution and dismissal from service of officials complicit in human trafficking activities, De Lima said.

The US State Department also recognized two recorded criminal cases filed against government officials for facilitating illegal departures of overseas workers and the significant increase in prosecution of suspected offenders and protection of witnesses in trafficking cases through IACAT.

De Lima said the collaboration between law enforcement officers and prosecutors led to more organized investigations.

“The department’s commitment to the suppression of the trafficking menace has been largely successful, for not only were we afforded for the past three years the upgrade of being a Tier 2 country when we were in the watchlist for the longest time, but more so because despite the challenges in our criminal system and processes, we were able, through the hard work of our agents and the dedication of our lawyers, to sustain such Tier 2 ranking,” she said.

The US State Department said in the report released   Wednesday the Philippine government had undertaken notable efforts to prevent the trafficking of overseas workers and to protect Filipino victims exploited abroad, increasing many of its financial and human resource allocations to combat trafficking.

The overall number of prosecutions and convictions remained disproportionately low for the size of the problem.   

Tier 2 countries are officially defined as “countries whose governments do not fully comply with the TVPA (Trafficking Victims Protection Act)’s minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.”