PH missed own target in eliminating human trafficking—US State Dep’t report

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima. INQUIRER/Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine government missed its target in upgrading the country’s rank on the list of the US State Department’s 12th Annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.

In 2010, the Philippines is on Tier2 Watch List. Those on Tier 2 Watch List have the most number of human trafficking victims and with less government effort to stop all forms of human trafficking. A year later, the country’s status has been upgraded to Tier 2 (removed from the Watch List) and has maintained the status this year.

“Tier 2 is an important recognition of the country’s sustained and aggressive initiatives and programs to eliminate human trafficking. The Tier 2 status officially recognizes a country’s significant efforts to adhere to the benchmarks prescribed by the US State Department and meet the minimum standards,” Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said.

“The report also highlighted the continuing accomplishment of the government in prosecution and conviction of trafficking offenders as well as in helping victims,” De Lima added.

“We are doing everything, we are improving our initiative [because] we want to be upgraded to Tier 1,” De Lima said.

Considered the highest ranking a country may receive, those under Tier 1 are countries whose governments fully complied with the minimum standards for the elimination of severe forms of trafficking as provided by the 2000 Trafficking Victims Protection Acts of the United States.

But while De Lima lamented the missed target, Vice President Jejomar Binay thought otherwise, saying that the country’s status was a result of the effective coordination among member agencies of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and partner non-government organizations in their anti-trafficking drive.

Binay, also chairman Emeritus of the IACAT, said the country’s performance under the two-year leadership of President Benigno Aquino III surpassed the gains of the previous administration, with the country being able to achieve 39 trafficking related convictions in a span of 22 months compared to the 29 convictions the previous administration had from 2005 to 2010.

“Being under the Tier 2 status meant the country was making significant requirements to comply with the requirements of the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA),” Binay said.

Binay added that the country was in danger of being placed under Tier 3 during the previous administration, as the country was placed in Tier 2 Watch List status. Being under Tier 3 status meant that a country would be included in the list of countries that did not cooperate in the fight against trafficking and would be subjected to US foreign assistance sanctions.

Binay said that he hoped the country would be consistent in its status and that efforts would be improved to curb human trafficking.

Binay said that the IACAT took note of the US report’s recommendations which included the need to intensify efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict an increased number of labor and sex trafficking offenders within and outside the country, the need to increase funds for anti-trafficking programs of IACAT agencies, and the strengthening of anti-trafficking training for police recruits, among others.