DOJ Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez (Screengrab from Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing)
MANILA – The government is keeping a closer watch on the country's southern backdoors amid an intensified crackdown on transnational human trafficking, an official of the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Tuesday.
In a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, Justice Undersecretary Margarita Gutierrez said officials of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) have visited the provinces of Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi on board the Philippine Coast Guard vessel BRP Gabriela Silang (OPV 8301) from Jan. 21 to 26.
“Ang pagbisita ay bahagi ng imbestigasyon sa backdoor exits na ginagamit na ruta ng human trafficking syndicates palabas ng bansa (The visit is part of the investigation into the use of backdoor exits in trafficking people out of the country),” Gutierrez explained.
The IACAT contingent was led by Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty and included representatives of various government agencies.
“Nakipagpulong din ang IACAT contingent sa local officials ng Mapun, Turtle Islands, Sibutu, Isabela de Basilan, Sulu provincial government, at Tawi-Tawi provincial government tungkol sa sitwasyon ng backdoor exits. Naniniwala si Undersecretary Ty na malaking bagay ang ginagawang pagbisita na ito ng IACAT upang mas lumawak ang kanilang kaalaman kaugnay sa human trafficking (The IACAT contingent has also met with local officials of Mapun, Turtle Islands, Sibutu, Isabela de Basilan, Sulu provincial government, at Tawi-Tawi provincial government regarding the situation on backdoor exits. Undersecretary Ty believes that the IACAT's visit would broaden its knowledge on human trafficking),” she said.
Meanwhile, Gutierrez also reported that Justice Secretary Jesus Remulla got good satisfaction ratings based on the results of a recent survey.
She said Remulla ranked third with an 85 percent satisfaction rating in the Boses ng Bayan Performance Report of the RP Mission and Development Foundation conducted from Dec. 27, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024.
Remulla followed Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. and Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, who ranked first and second, respectively. (PNA)
