RP's dismal trafficking record

It saddens me to note that our country has been on the watch list of the US State Department since 2001, for allegedly not complying fully with the generally accepted global standards against trafficking of human persons.

True, we have passed RA 9208, the Anti Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, but our records in combating the shenanigans in illegal trafficking has been found to be wanting, and leave much to be desired. Our police, prosecution and judicial systems are being accused of widespread corruption and gross inefficiency, that supposedly result to failures in the prosecution of illegal traffic cases.

The Philippines is put at par with Laos, Brunei, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Maldives and Afghanistan in human trafficking records. There were allegedly no less than 12.3 million victims of human trafficking from 2009 to 2010 alone. There are reported rampant trafficking to Malaysia via our southern backdoor, as well as to UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and even Israel.

The Philippines is said to be the notorious jumping point of illegal traffickers to Canada, UK and the Bahamas. It pains me to read adverse reports of this sort that put the honor and reputation of our country and people in embarrassing position, but we need to warn prospective victims on how widespread and rampant these reprehensible practices are today.

Of course, in fairness, let it be clarified that there legally licensed agencies doing legal recruitment. But even legal agencies can do illegal acts. These acts are perpetrated through the use of false promises, deceits, and misleading information designed to lure naive job seekers who are suckers of fantastic story lines.

These innocent and reckless applicants woud sell their carabaos, mortgage their houses and farms, borrow from unforgiving usurers, in whose favor they would issue postdated checks or deposits their land titles as guarantees and collateral for loans. The traffickers and recruiters would charge outrageous placement fees, processing fees, highly overpriced medical examinations, and many other schemes of milking the applicants dry.

Then their passports are falsified upon the instigation of the traffickers, to reflect a higher age if they are minors. Then, they are smuggled out as tourists, in collaboration allegedly with some airport officials, and escorted like VIPs, for a fee, of course.

 When they land in their destination, they are often met in the airport by tough-looking men who would bring them directly to prostitution houses, detention dens for slavery and involuntary servitude, or in clubs and bars where pedophiles and sexual perverts would feast on them like vultures. Their passports are confiscated, they are locked inside secured rooms, not given enough food and rest periods. When they get sick, they are denied proper medical care.

Some of them are subjected to forcible organ extractions, livers and kidneys command high prices in the black markets. Some of them would go crazy, jump from the windows of tall buildings and others commit suicides.

Again, we don't deny that there are good agencies and legal recruitment, but nowadays, the evil ones are growing in number and worsening in their reprehensible frauds. So, applicants, beware. Caveat emptor.