BI head on personal crusade vs human trafficking

MANILA, Philippines - Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Ronaldo Geron is taking the campaign against human trafficking as his personal crusade.

Victimizing women is the “one thing that I cannot tolerate… If I could prevent one woman from becoming a prostitute, I could sleep more soundly at night,” he said yesterday.

Geron, a lawyer, said he will go after Filipino recruiters who promise women decent jobs abroad, then let their recruits end up in prostitution dens.

As for immigration officers who help facilitate the departure of human trafficking victims, Geron said once he finds out “who among the officers placed the immigration stamp on the victim’s passport, I will file charges and have them imprisoned many times over.”

He also called on women to “stand up for their rights and not allow themselves to be perceived as entertainers. That is why the government is trying to generate for them.”

Geron said he is also using the connections he made when he was still with the Office of the President as deputy executive secretary for finance and administration to strengthen the bureau’s intelligence-gathering capabilities.

“I have access to intelligence work. I have had meetings with various government law enforcement agencies,” the BI chief said.