VP Binay: PHL to retain ranking in US trafficking report

By OVP Media
May 6, 2012

MANILA  –  Vice President Jejomar C. Binay said he is optimistic the Philippines will retain its current status in this year’s Global Trafficking in Persons (GTIP) Report of the U.S. Department of State.

Binay, the Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers’ Concerns and Chairman Emeritus of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), said he expected the Philippines to still be in included in the countries with Tier 2 status in the GTIP report scheduled to be released next month.

“Our goal has always been to be upgraded to Tier 1 status, but even if we don’t make it this year, given the number of trafficking-related convictions we had since the latest GTIP report was released, we are confident that we will remain in the Tier 2 list,” he said.

Countries in Tier 1 status are those that fully comply with the minimum requirements of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of the United States, while those in Tier 2 do not meet the minimum requirements but are making significant efforts to do so.

Binay said that there were 12 trafficking-related convictions with 18 persons convicted from April to December 2011, while there were five convictions with 12 persons convicted from January to April this year.

He said that these convictions were included in the report submitted by the Philippine government to the U.S. State Department for inclusion in this year’s GTIP Report.

The Vice President said since there have been 39 convictions since the start of the Aquino administration, with 48 persons convicted.

“To give you an idea of just how significant the increase is, compare the 39 convictions we have accumulated in the past 22 months to the 29 convictions the previous administration had from 2005 to June 2010,” he said.

The Philippines was elevated to Tier 2 status in the GTIP Report released in June last year. The country was in Tier 2 Watchlist status in 2009 and 2010.

Binay credited the increase in trafficking-related convictions to the creation of the IACAT Operations Center (OpCen) and closer coordination with non-government organizations (NGOs).

“The IACAT OpCen and our ties with NGOs have been vital to the increase in the number of trafficking cases filed and the number of convictions we secured,” he said.

Binay said that the latest operation of the IACAT OpCen included the rescue last April 25 of four women, including three minors, offering sexual services in two KTV bars in Tondo, Manila.