Government vows removal from trafficking list

MANILA, Philippines - The government is confident the US State Department would drop the Philippines from its watch-list on human trafficking as more cases against human traffickers end in conviction.

Justice Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar, chairman of the Inter Agency Council Against Trafficking in Persons (IACAT), reported 15 convictions from October 2009 to December last year. The law against human trafficking is contained in Republic Act 9208.

“More convictions are expected within the next few months,” he said in a report to Vice President Jejomar Binay who has offered to help in the campaign through funding and influence.

Binay said he would use the power of his office to the fullest to prevent influential people from meddling in the prosecution of human trafficking cases. 

Salazar said IACAT has intensified its efforts against human trafficking to lift the country from the Tier-2 Watch List and prevent it from falling to the Tier 3 category.

The US government had warned that the Philippines might lose $700 million in humanitarian aid if it moves to the Tier 3 category.

Countries that fail to meet the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act are placed in Tier 3.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a memorandum ordering all its prosecutors to expedite resolution of human trafficking cases and submit periodic reports on the status of the cases.

The Supreme Court has also ordered all local courts to expedite the resolution of all pending human trafficking cases.

The DOJ has also started a program giving recognition to prosecutors who have secured convictions in trafficking cases.

Last month, IACAT awarded 11 chief prosecutors and 17 prosecutors for winning human trafficking cases in courts.

“These awards acknowledge the efforts of these public servants in furtherance of the advocacy of the DOJ to ultimately put a stop to human trafficking. It will also serve as an impetus for the prosecutors to pursue their human trafficking cases diligently and passionately,” Salazar stressed. The convictions were between November 2009 and November last year.

Awarded were Prosecutors Evangeline Francisco (now Judge of Valenzuela), Veronica Pagayatan, Minerva de Guzman, Reynaldo Ticyado, Darlene Pajarito, Rudolph Carillo, Romel Odronia, Raul Cristoria, Teresita Cativo (now judge of Nueva Ecija), Zellca Longcob, Victoria Carina Latosa, State Prosecutor Clarisa Kuong, Vincent Villena, Reden Acal, Cesar de la Cruz, Napoleon Ramohete and Llena Ipong.

Also awarded were Chief Prosecutors led by Prosecutor General Claro Arellano, Elmer Mitra, Jhosep Lopez, Ricardo Cabaron, Nicolas Sellon, Feliciano Aspi, Marilyn Cynthia, Fatima Luang, Fedinand Valbuena, Jacinto Ang and Amerhassan Paudac.

The IACAT recently acquired a budget from Congress for its operations after years of working with no budget.