Police eye seminar for hotel, resort operators in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force- 7 is set to conduct a series of awareness seminar for all hotel and beach resort owners being the frontliners in the fight against human trafficking.

Insp. Sheryl Bautista said that they are supposed to implement the project last year but was postponed because of the series of calamities in the region. 

Bautista said that hotel and resort owners, managers, and security personnel must know how to detect human trafficking activities in their establishments.

She said that hotel and resort operators are obliged by law to help law enforcers in the fight against human trafficking.

“Under the law they are liable if they are aware of the activity,” said Bautista.

Business permits will be cancelled that would lead to closure of establishments found to have been negligent.

“If ma-prove sa among investigation nga kahibawo sila with what is happening nga naay trafficking sa ilang establishments, ma-file-lan sad namo sila og kaso,” she said.

She added that most of the trafficking cases that the task force recorded in previous years happened at the hotels and resorts.  Bautista said that last year they were able to apprehend a suspect molesting a minor inside a hotel and that incident was not the first.

“We have proposed this to the province of Cebu so we could get support from the governor and the regional IACAT,” said Baustista.  She said that they will conduct a seminar most probably by second quarter of this year.  (FREEMAN)