DOJ chief: 268 trafficking victims rescued in Pampanga

(Updated 4:04 p.m.) Joint government operatives rescued about 268 human trafficking victims on Wednesday night in Pampanga, said Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, whose office supervises the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). De Lima said the rescue of the victims in Angeles City, Pampanga were made through the joint efforts of the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation, the IACAT, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government. "They rescued last night more than 200 trafficked persons from 10 establishments. Many victims are minors. We dispatched state prosecutors in Angeles City to conduct inquest proceedings," she said at a news briefing Thursday. In a separate text message, De Lima said that of the 268 victims, at least 15 were minors. The victims were rescued from bars and night clubs identified as Camelot, Dirty Duck, and Forbidden City. De Lima, who assumed office last July, had instructed the IACAT to step up efforts to combat human trafficking. The Philippines is in danger of losing some $250-million in aid from the US State Department if it does not improve the prosecution of trafficking syndicates. Of the hundreds of human trafficking cases Justice prosecutors filed before the courts since the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act was enacted in 2003, only 23 cases led to convictions. The US State Department's 2010 human trafficking report retained the Philippines' "Tier 2 watch list" rank, indicating that the country "does not fully comply with, but is making significant efforts to meet" the agency's standards. The US government recently earmarked $500,000 for a three-year project where an American federal prosecutor will be sent to the country to train Philippine prosecutors handling human trafficking cases. The project also entails a protection program for victims and witnesses. — Sophia Regina Dedace/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV