Trafficking convictions double in 8 mos. of PNoy admin

In the first eight months of the Aquino administration, Philippine courts sentenced twice the number of human traffickers than they did under the previous president's rule. Records show that the Philippines — which the international community has closely watched as a prostitution and forced labor hotspot — has so far convicted traffickers in 39 cases. In an interview with GMA News Online, Visayan Forum president Cecil Oebanda said the courts resolved 21, or 54 percent, of these cases in 2010 alone. The period between 2003 and 2010 produced only 18 convictions, she added. Then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2003 signed the law against human trafficking. Most human trafficking cases involve the recruitment, transportation, and exploitation of persons for prostitution, forced labor, slavery, and other forms of abuse. Political will “It’s a very good indication of political will," said Oebanda, whose organization has stood at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking. Oebanda lauded President Benigno Aquino III for displaying a tough position against the global scourge, as the chief executive has asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prioritize human trafficking cases. To advance prosecution, she said the DOJ has also coordinated well with the judicial branch. The Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Renato Corona — which occasionally finds itself in friction with the Palace — has directed the country’s courts to quickly dispose of pending cases of human trafficking. A member of the Aquino Cabinet, Labor Secretary Rosalina Baldoz, in a statement, praised the High Court for its directive that “will send the message to human traffickers that their nefarious trade will soon be over." Helping each other “Nagtutulung-tulong kami (We are helping each)," said Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, a member of an inter-agency council sanctioned by law to fight human trafficking. Soliman told GMA News Online that the government has also ramped up its trafficking detection and prevention measures, stationing social workers, immigration officials, and other involved government staff round the clock in the country’s ports. Soliman was also a Social Welfare secretary under the Arroyo administration from 2001 to 2005 — including the first two years of the implementation of the law against human trafficking. When she was first at the helm of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, she said the government was still building the systems to implement the law. Hopes for an upgrade Oebanda said the development has fueled her hope that the Philippines will fare better in the US State Department’s next human trafficking report in June. In 2010, the US placed the Philippines in its Tier 2 watch list — the second poorest rank, citing an inefficient judicial system and endemic corruption. The report said the country lacks “a method to fast-track trafficking cases." “What the US State Department really wants is increased number of convictions," said Severino Gaña Jr., the then-chairman of the DOJ human trafficking task force. In July last year, the US threatened to pull out some $250 million in aid for the country’s fight against human trafficking if the Philippines does not settle more human trafficking cases by this month. DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima, at that time, said the US State Department might downgrade the Philippines from Tier 2 watch list to Tier 3 if pending cases against suspected human traffickers do not lead to convictions.— JE/VS/JV, GMA News