Duterte reviewing proposal on anti-child trafficking office

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte is looking into a proposal to create a body that will handle child trafficking.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the government’s anti-child trafficking efforts were discussed during a Cabinet meeting last Wednesday.

“The President will review the proposal of Special Envoy of the President to United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) Monica Prieto Teodoro to craft an executive order creating an Anti-Child Trafficking Office to address child trafficking in the country,” Panelo said in a statement.

The Philippines ranked 12th in the 2018 Global Slavery Index with about 700,000 human trafficking victims.

Also during the Cabinet meeting, the dengue epidemic and problems hounding agriculture were tackled.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said his agency has prepositioned commodities and logistics in local government units, provided rapid diagnostics test, created a task force and disseminated information materials to address the rising cases of dengue fever.

The agency also deployed additional human resources, established hydration stations and activated dengue fast lanes in hospitals to assist patients.

Acting Agriculture Secretary William Dar, meanwhile, talked about measures to address Fall Army Worm and African swine fever. He said the agriculture department has conducted quarantine in areas affected by the Fall Army Worm. 

The agency has also conducted sanitation and intercropping and promoted the use of inorganic fertilizers.

On the possible entry of African swine fever in the country, agriculture officials have conducted intensified awareness campaign on local farmers, surveillance, cleaning and disinfection activities in affected areas. Agriculture officials are still awaiting results of viral isolation tests. 

Duterte also directed the National Economic and Development Authority to further review the draft revised National Land Use Act, one of his priority bills.