Stop human trafficking!

When a government official sells a franchise to a logger, allowing him to strip the hills of our beautiful trees – that is treason to our nation.

When Gaudencio Rosales was the Bishop of Malaybalay, he protested against this, in Malacañang. The government official said: "But your Excellency, what they are doing is legal! They have a franchise!" At that moment, the Batangueño blood in Bishop Rosales rose to the surface. He hit the table with both hands, and said: "I know! I know! You are destroying this nation legally.!"

When an official sells a title to the land on which our tribal natives are living, that is treason. The poor native says: "But my father worked this land, and my grandfather, and my great grandfather!" The lowlander holds the title and says: "No. This paper says that the land is mine." The native cannot read or write. What can he do? He has been betrayed.

When a big time fisherman sails into our waters, which are rich in fish, and catches those fish in the easiest way – using dynamite – that is treason to our country. The fish will not return to that water, where the dynamite was used, for a long, long time. The big time fisherman is stealing the food of the natives who live along the shore. They have been betrayed. And all of us have been betrayed.

When a politician steals millions from the public funds, that is treason. The value of the peso sinks. The politician is stealing from every poor family in the country. They have been betrayed. And all of us have been betrayed.

But when anyone sells a child into prostitution for money, that is treason of the worst kind. Because the Philippines is not the trees, or the land, or the fish, or the money – it is people! The wealth of our country does not lie in our beautiful trees. It does not lie in our land, or in our seas, or even in what little money we have. Our real treasure is . . . each other!

A social worker was trying to rescue a little girl from the shameful business of internet pornography. She managed to get into the very room where the TV cameras were filming the child. She was asked to strip until she was naked, and then to do gross sensual things.

The little girl obeyed without protest, because it meant that she would bring money home to her father, who was hooked on drugs. And if she did not bring money home, her father would beat her… Her mother allowed it, because this child was the only support of the family. The money she brought home was used to buy food, each day.

The social worker had long experience with this human trade, so she was able to bear it. But what was happening in the next room really made her shiver.

In that next room was the little sister of the child she was trying to rescue. The owners of this internet industry were training her to become a performer. This little sister was six years old. And they were teaching her how to have oral sex with a full grown man.

I blush pink, even as I write this. I do not want to shock anybody. But I want to say, with all my heart – to make it crystal clear – this human trafficking is diabolic!

Satan is the enemy of all mankind. The strong tradition of the Catholic Church is that he was given a vision of the Baby born in the stable at Bethlehem, wrapped in swaddling clothes by the Virgin Mary, and laid in a manger. Satan was asked to adore this Baby, the Son of God.

But this Baby was an animal! A rational animal, but still an animal! Satan was an angel, a pure spirit. And he was being asked to adore an animal! He said: "No. I will not do that. I will not serve!" . . . . And Our Lord said: "I saw Satan falling like light from heaven, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

From that moment, Satan was the enemy of all mankind. And anyone who sells a child into prostitution is exactly like Satan – diabolic – the enemy of all mankind.

And the words of Our Lord, about this, are strong: "If anyone should scandalize the least of these, my little ones, it were better for him if a millstone was tied around his neck and he was drowned in the depths of the sea."

Judas sold Christ Our Lord for thirty pieces of silver. That was a month’s wage for an ordinary worker, in those days. Those who sell our children sell them for less than that. Judas hanged himself with a halter when he saw Our Lord led out to execution.

What the human traffickers do to our children is worse than crucifixion. The passion of Our Lord was all over in a day. This little six years old, being trained to perform – she will have to live it out, for the next 50 years. With no dignity, ashamed of herself, without confidence, without hope, without love. For the one who does this to her, a halter is too good. There must be a special place for the human traffickers, in the deepest fires of hell.

Though, I know, to be like Christ Our Lord, we should pray for them, as he prayed on Calvary: "Father, forgive them, for they know what they do."

But this kind of shameful training of our children is common! I ran into it, myself, years ago, when I was asked to do a stage play on child prostitution. I was talking to a seven year old girl, who was trapped into the trade.

She was featured in a brochure that the syndicate was circulating . . . . stark naked, I said: "Aren’t you ashamed when they take pictures like that? Do you cry?" She answered: "Oh, no! The pictures are alright. The pictures don’t hurt."

She spoke about her bugaw as if the bugaw was her friend and benefactor. She said: "She teaches us what to say, and what to do." I asked: "What do you mean – she teaches you what to say?"

This little seven year old child said: "Well, the bugaw tells us . . . . when you are with a man, he will ask you: are you a one hole girl, or a two hole girl, or a three hole girl? You must answer, right away, Oh, I am a three hole girl. Then he will like you, and give you more money."

I have been a priest for 59 years. I am not very shockable. But this kind of thing shocked even the hard bitten social worker. It is too much – too gross, too cruel, too savage. It is inhuman. It is diabolic.

We must treat our children with respect, with reverence, with love. Human trafficking must stop. It is a curse on the face of the earth.

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There is a texting service to help stop human trafficking.

You can reach it on Smart by texting: Rescue@326

You can reach it on Globe by texting: Rescue1@2978