Philippines remains in Tier 2 in human trafficking

WASHINGTON – The Philippines has stepped up its crackdown on human trafficking but needs to increase efforts to hold government officials criminally accountable for trafficking-related offenses, the US State Department said.

In its 2015 trafficking in persons (TIP) report, the State Department for the fifth straight year placed the Philippines in its Tier 2 status of countries that do not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking but are making significant efforts to do so.

Secretary of State John Kerry said this modern version of slavery was a $150-billion illicit trafficking industry.

“The purpose of this document is not to scold and it’s not to name and shame. It is to enlighten and to energize and, most importantly, to empower people,” he said.

He said the TIP report was a call to action.

“We want to provide a strong incentive for governments at every level to do all that they can to prosecute trafficking and to shield at-risk populations,” he said.

The report released on Monday said the Philippine government continued robust efforts to prevent trafficking and took steps to expedite prosecutions.

It said authorities demonstrated increased law enforcement efforts, convicting 53 sex traffickers – an increase from 31 the previous reporting year.

Rachael Parrish, US Embassy political officer, said the report shows that the initiatives made by the Philippines has placed the country at the forefront in the region in the campaign against human trafficking.

 “The Philippines is well on its way to a Tier 1 ranking,” Parrish said in a meeting with officials of the Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). Parrish pointed out that the country has been able to address past recommendations of the TIP report.

The IACAT, chaired by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, said the latest rating “is an apt recognition of the efforts of the members and partners of the government in the fight against the scourge of ‘modern day slavery’.”

 “The Tier 2 ranking, the fifth in a row (2011-2015), reflects the collective strength of our entire nation, united in one common goal, to surely even though slowly, put an end to modern-day slavery and all forms of exploitation,” De Lima said.

De Lima commended the individual achievements and collective efforts made by IACAT member agencies, allies from the civil society, partners in the government, and other stakeholders in the country’s fight against human trafficking.

Justice Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar, in-charge of IACAT, said the rating is a “welcome feedback on the hard work by government and its stakeholders in combating human trafficking.”

 “Our mandate is borne out of the responsibility of the government to protect its citizens,” Salazar said.

 Salazar said one significant improvement in the 2015 TIP Report is the reduction of the recommended actions for the Philippine government.

 He noted that in the previous year, the report presented 13 recommendations, highlighting the areas where the government needed to improve.

 In the latest report, the recommended action plan showed nine points, majority of which encourages the Philippine government to continue to implement existing programs and mechanisms to deal with the trafficking situation in the country, Salazar explained.                                    

“We expect that this report will further fuel the campaign of the government against human trafficking and continue to advance our mandate to protect the Filipino people,” Salazar said. – With Pia Lee-Brago