14 Pinays rescued from alleged trafficking attempt in Zamboanga

Zamboanga City authorities have foiled an alleged attempt to send 14 undocumented Filipina workers to other countries illegally, a social worker of an anti-human trafficking watchdog said Monday. In a telephone interview with GMA News Online, Visayan Forum (VF) social worker Safia Rojas said local officials rescued the Filipinas aboard the M/V Trisha Kirstin 2 on Friday. The officials included representatives of the local divisions of the Philippine National Police and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. VF, which received the tip on the alleged human trafficking attempt, joined the operations to rescue the Filipinas who are reportedly between the ages of 22 to 41. Rojas said the ship was bound for Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, and that the women will be made to work as domestic helpers in countries like Malaysia, Lebanon, and Jordan. If the trafficking attempt pushed through, Rojas said the undocumented Filipinas could be pushed into the sex and organ trade. The social worker noted that over the past month, Zamboanga City officials have rescued potential human trafficking victims almost weekly, supposedly because of the city's “very active" and well-coordinated law enforcers. Rescue ops almost weekly Rojas expressed hope that efforts around the Philippines to curb human trafficking would merit a ratings upgrade in the US State Department’s human trafficking report later this month. In 2010, the US placed the Philippines in its Tier 2 watch list – the second lowest rank, citing an inefficient judicial system and endemic corruption. In another interview earlier this year, VF president Cecil Oebanda relayed a similar desire, citing statistics that show that the number of human trafficking convictions in the first eight months of the Aquino administration have doubled. “It’s a very good indication of political will," Oebanda said. Last week, however, US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr. said he was growing impatient over Philippine government’s performance in curbing the human trafficking scourge. “Yes, we have made progress but we cannot drink champagne," said Thomas, prompting Malacañang to reassure the United States about its anti-human trafficking efforts a day after the ambassador made the statement. In March, Thomas warned that if the Philippines fails to secure a ratings upgrade in the upcoming human trafficking report, “that will be the end of humanitarian assistance" from the United States. - VVP, GMA News