Lawmakers vow to end 'modern-day' slavery

Two months after working unpaid as a domestic helper in Malaysia, Rowena Gatchalian of San Simon in Pampanga, walked out of her employer’s house in the dead of the night. Bringing nothing but a few clothes and her documents, Gatchalian, 32, had nowhere to go. She locked the doors after her, still concerned about the safety of her employer’s family even as she herself was not sure of her own. For two hours, Gatchalian walked Kuala Lumpur’s streets, fully aware that she fit the profile of a run-away Filipina domestic helper and, if discovered, would be arrested by the police. “I took a cab to the (Philippine) Embassy even if I was penniless. Good thing the driver had previous experiences with runaway Filipinas like me, so he understood and let me go," Rowena said in Filipino. Not everyone is as brave as Gatchalian. It took Roselyn Pajo, 41, from San Pedro in Laguna one year to follow her footsteps. She succeeded on the third attempt, finally mustering the courage to leave her oppressive employer in Malaysia and seek the Embassy's help. Before that, she returned to her local agent twice to seek a new employer and, more importantly, to actually demand the salary which she never received not even once after months of working as a domestic helper. Gatchalian’s and Pajo’s tales are but just two of the cases of thousands of Filipino workers who became victims — and continue to become victims of human trafficking as the Philippines remains on the US State Department’s watch list due to its “inefficient judicial system" and “endemic corruption". For this year, the Philippines retained its Tier 2 Watch List rank in the report, which stated that the country “does not fully comply with, but is making significant efforts to meet" the agency’s standards. Only 8 convictions in 206 cases The US State Department report noted that during the year, Philippine law enforcement agencies referred 228 trafficking cases to the Department of Justice (DOJ), with prosecution initiated for 206 cases. However, only eight individuals in five sex trafficking cases were convicted, including two individuals who remain at large, the report said. Majority of human trafficking victims were forced to work as domestic helpers mainly in Asia and increasingly throughout the Middle East, the report added. Records from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed that over 70,000 Filipinos were deployed as household service workers abroad, making it the top overseas occupation last year. Of the figure, more than 69,000 are women. Gatchalian’s and Pajo’s cases were two years apart, but after coming home, both said scores of other Filipino women victimized by the same modus operandi were left behind. Gatchalian left for Malaysia in March 2007, leaving behind a regular job in a garments factory. Pajo, meanwhile, left the country in March last year and worked for three different employers in Malaysia. Their cases had similarities: employers made them work for at least 20 hours but refused to pay them, saying their agents have already been paid an equivalent of two years of work. Gatchalian’s illegal recruiter in Manila is already in prison for similar charges, while Pajo’s has yet to be arrested. “For the meantime, I am not thinking of going back to working abroad given what I experienced. But I’m hoping to find a job here so I won’t have to leave the country again," Pajo said. However, Gatchalian’s passport is already with a “friend" also from Pampanga who promised to find her a job. Her friend is not connected with any legitimate agency. She never responded when asked whether she fears being victimized again by illegal recruiters. Pacman joins fight vs human trafficking With the increasing number of human trafficking cases, the Blas F. Ople Policy Center brought together legislators, heads of government agencies, civil society leaders and victims of human trafficking for a dialogue. The meeting plans to draft a working legislative agenda to put a halt on what it considers as “modern-day slavery". The group expressed special gratitude to Sarangani Congressman Manny Pacquiao who vowed to join the fight against human trafficking. “We should engage in an all-out war against trafficking, not only in words but also in immediate action," the boxing-champ-turned-politician said in the dialogue. Other legislators like Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Zamboanga City Rep. Beng Climaco vowed to work on providing budget to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to allow it to efficiently perform its tasks. The IACAT is tasked with coordinating efforts of government agencies to curb human trafficking. Last year, it asked for a P2-million budget from the Department of Budget and Management but the request was denied, Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy lead convenor Amina Rasul said. The legislators likewise said they will focus on the proposed amendments to the anti-human trafficking law, such as the removal of provision prohibiting the publication of the names of persons suspected to be involved in human trafficking. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV