PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan -- Two resolutions have been filed at the Palawan Provincial Board that seek to fight human trafficking.
Board Member David Francis Ponce de Leon said Monday his authored measures are aimed at intensifying the province’s drive against the top types of human trafficking, such as forced prostitution of adult females, illegal recruitment, forced labor of the vulnerable sector, child prostitution, and others.
Ponce de Leon said he filed the measures after Balabac was tagged as a “backdoor” to Malaysia for human trafficking by Department of Justice-Inter Agency Committee Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT) Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar.
“Kinilala ang Palawan bilang isa mga pinakamadaling pangyarihan ng human trafficking sa bansa lalung-lalo na umano at mayroong Balabac backdoor (Palawan was identified to be vulnerable to human trafficking because we allegedly have the Balabac backdoor),” he said in an interview with the local media.
Ponce de Leon said this is due to the fact that Sandakan, Malaysia is easily accessible through the southernmost tip of the province.
In a forum sponsored by the United States Embassy for media practitioners this month, Villar said men are also being trafficked to do hard labor, while women and children are being coerced to travel abroad to become workers in cybersex dens.
Ponce de Leon said the DOJ-IACAT report cannot be taken for granted as there are many Palaweños who might also be victimized by these unscrupulous businessmen.
“Kailangan palaganapin pa ang kaalaman ng mga mamamayan ukol sa nangyayaring human trafficking tulad ng pagsasagawa ng mga activities na makaka-impluwensya sa kanila na hadlangan ang krimen (We need to intensify the awareness of the public about human trafficking by holding activities that can raise their awareness so they can help stop the crime),” he said.
He said law enforcement authorities in the province should strictly monitor Balabac to prevent it from being used as a way in and out of Palawan.
Ponce de Leon also proposed in his other resolution that accommodation establishments in Palawan should be strict in getting the profiles of the individuals who book themselves as clients to ensure that human trafficking is not being committed.
In its report, the DOJ-IACAT said the Philippine National Police has recorded 1,619 anti-trafficking operations nationwide. Of the total, 5,987 victims were rescued and 2,624 offenders were arrested.
Department of Social Welfare Department (DSWD) Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) field coordinator Ernie Jarabejo said earlier that Palawan recorded the highest human trafficking incident in the region, with 52 cases from 2015 to the first semester of 2018.
He said the victims are pure Palaweños who are mostly from the northern part of the province, particularly Coron town. (PNA)
