US gives P175M to fund PH efforts to curb child trafficking

The United States – Despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s scathing remarks against it – announced on Tuesday the grant of P175 million to the Philippine government to fund its efforts to curb child trafficking.

In simple rites held at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and US chargé d’affaires Michael Klecheski signed the Child Protection Compact to bolster the cooperation between the two countries in fighting trafficking syndicates preying on children.

“The State Department’s Trafficking Office will award up to P175 million in foreign assistance funding to address online sexual exploitation,” Klecheski said in his speech.

He said another P50 million would be allocated in the next four years jointly by the American government and the Philippines’ Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, which Aguirre chairs.

Addressing the event, Aguirre welcomed the financial assistance from Washington as he reiterated that the “evil of human trafficking should be fought on all fronts.”

“We should channel our collective efforts towards eradicating it,” he said. “Anything that debases or dehumanizes the dignity of a person is an abomination that must end: Slavery and exploitation has no place in any society. Any act that which enslaves or exploits our children magnifies the evil a hundredfold.” /atm