Binay calls for regional cooperation vs human trafficking

MANILA, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay yesterday called for greater cooperation among Southeast Asian countries in addressing human trafficking.

Binay cited the need to tap non-government organizations (NGOs) in curbing human trafficking, a common problem in the region that would require cooperation among ASEAN governments.

“We likewise wish to solidify multilateral strategies to combat trafficking since our Asian neighbors face the same problem,” Binay told the 48th anniversary of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP).

“We are pushing for an ASEAN-wide drive to strengthen anti-trafficking efforts and the Philippines’ approach of a multipartite system in curbing trafficking of persons is something that can be created and shared with our Asian neighbors,” he added.

Binay, chairman emeritus of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, said a joint effort against the illegal practice would reduce the impunity enjoyed by traffickers.

“By tightening the noose across the region, we can reduce the impunity with which traffickers operate,” he said.

Binay also cited the important role of NGOs in the drive against human trafficking.

“Increased NGO participation will further awareness of the trafficking problem at grassroots level and would make it more difficult for (traffickers) to operate in the countryside,” he said.

Binay said they are considering tapping popular media forms like radio dramas to boost their information drive against trafficking.

One of the participants in the gathering, former Agusan del Sur representative Rodolfo Plaza, supported the idea of using radio dramas as an information tool.

“These radio programs have following and that could be the best way to attack the problem down to the barangay level,” Plaza said.

Binay added radio drama programs are also popular among potential human trafficking victims.

Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno said human traffickers usually bring their victims to Singapore and Brunei, with Malaysia as transit point.

Binay, however, stressed that human trafficking is not limited to aspiring overseas workers and victims of the flesh trade.

“While these are prominent cases of the problem, they are not the only face of the business,” he said.

Binay said debt bondage, forced labor, involuntary domestic servitude and the use of child warriors can also be considered human trafficking.

Binay also appealed to rebel groups to refrain from using minors as combatants.

“Human trafficking is a direct assault on our people and is such a national security issue... we can’t allow trafficking to lure more of our people to suffering,” he said.

The Philippines has been removed from the Tier 2 watchlist of the 2011 US Trafficking in Persons Report.

This effectively upgraded the Philippines to Tier 2 status, which means that the country no longer faces sanctions but should do more in addressing human trafficking.

The Foreign Affairs department said the removal of the Philippines from the watchlist indicates the government’s gains against human trafficking.