Palace eyes PHL removal from US human trafficking watchlist

Malacañang on Wednesday said efforts to have the country removed from a United States watchlist on human trafficking remain to be among the government’s priorities. “We agree that we should work hard to make sure that we are taken off the watchlist and these are part and parcel of the solutions that we are doing," said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda at a press briefing. He said one of the instructions given to newly appointed Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David was to give emphasis on the problem on human trafficking. “There have been accusations where [Immigration] officials are involved in that and so . . . we actually have mentioned a few briefings ago that the emphasis on Gen. David’s appointment will be addressing the problem of human trafficking," Lacierda said. David was the chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) prior to his appointment to the Bureau of Immigration. Lacierda also said the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Secretary Leila de Lima has made it a priority to prosecute people involved in human trafficking. “Insofar as prosecuting these people who intend to smuggle people in and out of the country, the DOJ has made it a priority to ensure that these people will be prosecuted and an example should be set also to prevent further violation and further human trafficking actions," he said. US Ambassador to Manila Harry Thomas Jr. on Tuesday said improvement in the conviction rate in human trafficking cases will be a surefire way for the Philippines to be stricken off the watchlist. If the Philippines fails to graduate from the US State Department’s Tier 2 watchlist this year, it will land on Tier 3 category of countries that has failed to uphold international standards to combat human trafficking — a development that could have dire consequences when it comes to US aid. - Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News