LIVE: Senate resumes probe into sex trafficking in POGO industry

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality on Tuesday morning will resume its investigation into prostitution rings that cater to Philippine Offshore Gambling Operator workers.

Through Senate Resolution 131, the Senate panel will examine the circumstances that push women to work under exploitative conditions.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros called for the hearing following a report of six Vietnamese women rescued in a Makati City condominium in September last year. They were allegedly held in a prostitution den managed by two Chinese women.

"Whereas, the objectification in the gambling industry as evidenced by the Filipinas in POGOs and the more serious problem of sexual slavery experienced by human trafficking victims here in the Philippines that coincidentally have POGO operators as clientele are problems that have underlying roots in the misogyny that have been normalized by a president who have delivered sexist remarks without care or remorse," Hontiveros said in the resolution.

Watch the hearing LIVE starting 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2020.