Gov't monitoring evacuation centers to prevent prostitution: official

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The government assured today that concerned agencies are closely monitoring the situation in evacuation centers in Central and Southern Philippines to prevent the alleged cases of prostitution or human trafficking there.

Philippine Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. made the remarks amid reports that there were such incidents in some evacuation centers in Southern Philippine city of Zamboanga where a standoff between government forces and Muslim militants took place last year, and in Central Philippine city of Tacloban, which was ravaged by Typhoon Haiyan last November.

He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the police have been monitoring all the evacuation centers in disaster-stricken areas in the country.

"Strict regulations are being implemented (in these evacuation centers) because one of the objectives is to prevent human trafficking. Prostitution is an aspect of trafficking," Coloma said in a news briefing in Malacanang, the presidential palace on Thursday.

"There is a very strong advocacy in the welfare of women and girls. There are also women and children friendly spaces," he added.

But citing a report from the DSWD, he said there was one reported case of rape in an evacuation center in Zamboanga City, and the suspect has been jailed after that.