11 November 2011 09:10:32 AM
Writer: Dioniso P. Tubianosa, MRS-PRIB
Congress is now finalizing an amendatory bill that would intensify the country's war against human trafficking and stop the reported complicity of government officials to these global criminal activities victimizing women and children.
"Congress is determined to strengthen our legal penal system to finally eliminate trafficking in persons especially women and children," declared Rep. Marlyn M. Primicias-Agabas, committee chairperson.
During its most recent deliberation in October on four (4) separate but similar measures referred by plenary to the House committee, a technical working group (TWG) presided over by Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento (1st District, Western Samar) agreed to submit a draft consolidated bill for the mother committee's approval.
The draft is a consolidation of the following HBs: HB 258 by Rep. Pryde Henry Teves; HB 4212 authored by Reps. Emmanuel Pacquiao and Walden Bello; HB1705 by Rep. Susan Yap; and HB 4694 of Rep. M. Sarmiento. The panel also took into consideration crucial provisions in a draft bill submitted by the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT).
Rep. Teves stressed the need for the public to be highly informed and warned about persons who are convicted or accused in a pending case for human trafficking.
"Restricting the public from having to know the personal identity of the accused (under current law) clearly opposes the strong purpose of the Anti-Trafficking Law," Teves said.
Despite having an Anti-Trafficking Law, Rep. Sarmiento lamented that the Philippines belongs in the Tier 2 Watch list by the United States, which basically means that the country does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
"Everyday, 3,000 Filipinos leave the country to seek greener pasture abroad. Some will be lucky, but others would not be so fortunate - more often than not they fall victims to human trafficking. A number returned to our country in a box, lifeless," Sarmiento lamented.
On the other hand, Reps. Pacquiao and Bello are batting to expand the definition of "prostitution" to provide more protection especially to women victims and potential victims of human trafficking. Their bill also provides, among others, a clear definition of "slavery", "involuntary servitude" and "sexual solicitation" in order to make law enforcement more effective and the conviction of human traffickers more probable and faster.
Pacquiao also expressed concern that a further downgrading (to Tier 3 by the US) would result in the withholding by the U.S. of its humanitarian aid worth about US$250M or about P11-Billion for Mindanao where he hails from.
For her part, another author, Rep. Yap disclosed expert reports showing that international and local syndicates are in collusion with government officials to facilitate the ingress and egress of trafficking victims from the country.
"Some government officials, though not taking an active part in the trafficking of humans, are complicit to these trafficking activities," Rep. Yap stressed in disgust, as she proposed, along with the other authors, stiffer penalties, like an increase in the term of imprisonment from 20 to 25 years, in cases where an official or employee of the government would by involved in acts of trafficking in persons.
The Committee (TWG) also reported that the consolidated bill, which may be refined further by the mother committee come resumption of session, had elicited the support of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Visayan Forum, Migrante International and International Justice Mission, among others. - https://www.affordablecebu.com/
