Marcos to address human trafficking at Asean Summit in Laos

MANILA, Philippines —  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to bring up concerns about human trafficking in Southeast Asia during the 44th and 45th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Laos, officially the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, next week.

In a press briefing on Friday, Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu said he cannot provide details but confirmed the President will bring the topic up.

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“Human trafficking is a common concern within Asean because it not only impacts the Philippines but many of its members,” he said when asked if Marcos would raise the issue at the summit.

Espiritu noted that some of the foreign human trafficking victims are actually being brought to the Philippines.

“And it’s happening in Mainland Southeast Asia, and there are counterparts of Pogo (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) in other Asean member states, and we are actively cooperating on that,” he said.

He further said that the Philippines has ongoing cooperation with other countries regarding the rescue of human trafficking victims.

The problem of human trafficking has been a long-standing issue in various parts of the world, but this issue has recently become more prominent in the Philippines when alleged human trafficking victims were rescued from some Pogo entities in the country.

Marcos is set to attend the summit scheduled for October 8 to 11. Other activities of Marcos include meeting the 400-member Filipino community in Laos.