Loren seeks probe on sex tourism in RP

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Loren Legarda has filed a resolution asking the Senate to investigate the reported growing business of “sex tourism” in certain areas of the country, following a report by a foreign network.

Legarda, who chairs the Senate committee on youth, women and family relations, said she wants to know whether the government is doing enough to address the exploitation and prostitution of minors.

She said sex tourism has been thriving because of laxity in the implementation of laws against child trafficking and prostitution.

“Sex tourism is an illegal and immoral business that should be banned by the government before it further corrupts the youth and erodes the nation’s moral fabric,” she said.

The investigation comes on the heels of a documentary by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. entitled “Confronting evil.”

The documentary reported the growing number of teenage prostitutes aged 15 to 18 in the country and the spread of sex tourism.

It revealed that more tourists are now choosing the Philippines not because of the country’s tourist spots but because of the flesh trade.

Sex tourism, while a lucrative trade, has adverse emotional and psychological effects on the lives of the young people who have become victims of prostitution, Legarda said.

The documentary pointed out that most of the cases of prostitution and rape in the country go through a long process that may take a year or more for justice to be served.