Senate ratifies UN convention against transnational crimes

The Senate ratified yesterday the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNCTOC) and its two supplanting protocols against human trafficking and smuggling.

Sen. Blas Ople, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations, said UNCTOC is the first legally binding international instrument to specifically address the problem of transnational organized crime like drug trafficking, money laundering, obstruction of justice and corruption.

Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda was co-sponsor of the UN convention.

Ople said UNCTOC stresses international cooperation on extradition, mutual legal assistance, joint investigations, transfer of proceedings, exchange of information and other measures to promote global unity against transnational crime.

"The convention seeks to harmonize national laws so that there can be no uncertainty that crime in one state is also a crime in another," he added.

He pointed out that UNCTOC sets minimum standards for domestic laws and measures so that there can be no safe havens for organized crime.

"Of significant value to local enforcers is the Convention’s provision on funding support for technical assistance to developing countries for the training of law enforcers," Ople said.

Under the UNCTOC funding mechanism, regular voluntary contributions from countries would go to a special account for technical assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

"The Senate concurrence in UNCTOC would open vistas of opportunity for our local agencies to link up with more sophisticated and technologically advanced countries in the global effort to fight narco-trafficking and other transnational crimes," Ople said.

The convention also requires states to adopt measures for the protection and support of victims and witnesses against potential intimidation and retaliation by organized criminal groups.

He said that the two protocols on trafficking and smuggling of human beings supplement UNCTOC.

"Our adoption of these protocols would require amendments to the Migrant Workers Act of 1995 and the upgrading of existing laws on immigration and the trafficking of women and children," Ople explained.

He revealed that a crime syndicate has been buying unwanted babies of prostitutes for P2,000 each, and then sells them for P70,000 each in Malaysia.

"We have also heard of stories about Filipina women promised jobs as waitresses in Hong Kong, only to end up as sex slaves in Nigeria," he said.

"Meanwhile, Chinese nationals have been using our islands as transit point prior to obtaining residency status in Hong Kong and other parts of the world," Ople added.

He expressed confidence that the two protocols provide effective tools to combat and prevent the smuggling of human cargo.