Hillary Clinton lauds PHL for fight vs. human trafficking
United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lauded the “real commitment" the Philippines has shown in fighting against human trafficking, also called as “modern-day slavery."
At a forum dubbed “A Conversation in Manila" at the National Museum on Wednesday, Clinton cited the improvement in the country’s enforcement of laws against human trafficking, the illegal trade in human beings for forced labor or sexual exploitation.
“Now you’re prosecuting — that sends a very strong message to the traffickers that you have to beware, that you’re not gonna get away with this," Clinton said.
“I can’t speak for what the evidence will accumulate. We have this whole process that I’m not a part of, I [just] get the final recommendation. But I think it’s fair to say that we’re very proud of the progress that the Philippines is making," she added.
‘Sea change of difference’
In an interview with CNN in June this year, Clinton praised the Philippines for the progress in the fight against human trafficking since President Benigno Simeon Aquino III assumed office.
“The Philippines probably export more people of their citizenry than nearly any other country in the world. They go all over the world to work in many different settings," Clinton said.
“Until the new administration of President Aquino, we didn’t really have the level of commitment we were seeking. We do now, and we see a sea change of difference," she added.
Clinton issued the comment after the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report of the US State Department was released.
In the report, the Philippines' rank moved up from the "Tier 2 Watch List" to "Tier 2."
Being under the Tier 2 category — a level higher than Tier 2 Watch List — implies that the Philippines “is making significant efforts to do so" although it “still does not fully comply with minimum standards."
In his second State of the Nation last July, Aquino said the government has convicted 31 human traffickers in a year.
The figure was a little higher than the number of human traffickers (29) convicted by the administration of former President Gloria Arroyo in 2010, seven years since the signing of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in 2003.
In June this year, Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. — who called the removal from the watch list “a vindication"— said more than 54,000 suspected human trafficking victims were prevented from leaving the country because of government's intensified drive against human trafficking at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other ports.
Most of them were bound for Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East and were suspected of being “tourist workers" or undocumented overseas Filipino workers disguised as tourists, David said.
‘Sexual tourism’
Meanwhile, US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. had hit the headlines late in September for saying that about 40 percent of male foreign tourists in the Philippines come for sex.
“That is not something I’m proud of. That's not something you should be proud of. I told [Justice] Secretary Leila de Lima that any American caught engaged in any of these crimes or cybersex should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and we will assist," Thomas said during a round-table discussion among Court of Appeals magistrates last Sept. 22.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) disputed the ambassador’s claim, saying that “shopping and sight-seeing are the dominant activities for both male and female tourists."
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also said foreign tourists who “are coming for darker reasons" are unwelcome.
“The Philippines is a beautiful country. Although we would like to see the number of tourist arrivals increase, we would want that our tourists, that our friends come here for the right reasons," she said. — MRT/VS/VVP, GMA News
At a forum dubbed “A Conversation in Manila" at the National Museum on Wednesday, Clinton cited the improvement in the country’s enforcement of laws against human trafficking, the illegal trade in human beings for forced labor or sexual exploitation.
“Now you’re prosecuting — that sends a very strong message to the traffickers that you have to beware, that you’re not gonna get away with this," Clinton said.
“I can’t speak for what the evidence will accumulate. We have this whole process that I’m not a part of, I [just] get the final recommendation. But I think it’s fair to say that we’re very proud of the progress that the Philippines is making," she added.
‘Sea change of difference’
In an interview with CNN in June this year, Clinton praised the Philippines for the progress in the fight against human trafficking since President Benigno Simeon Aquino III assumed office.
“The Philippines probably export more people of their citizenry than nearly any other country in the world. They go all over the world to work in many different settings," Clinton said.
“Until the new administration of President Aquino, we didn’t really have the level of commitment we were seeking. We do now, and we see a sea change of difference," she added.
Clinton issued the comment after the 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report of the US State Department was released.
In the report, the Philippines' rank moved up from the "Tier 2 Watch List" to "Tier 2."
Being under the Tier 2 category — a level higher than Tier 2 Watch List — implies that the Philippines “is making significant efforts to do so" although it “still does not fully comply with minimum standards."
In his second State of the Nation last July, Aquino said the government has convicted 31 human traffickers in a year.
The figure was a little higher than the number of human traffickers (29) convicted by the administration of former President Gloria Arroyo in 2010, seven years since the signing of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in 2003.
In June this year, Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. — who called the removal from the watch list “a vindication"— said more than 54,000 suspected human trafficking victims were prevented from leaving the country because of government's intensified drive against human trafficking at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other ports.
Most of them were bound for Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East and were suspected of being “tourist workers" or undocumented overseas Filipino workers disguised as tourists, David said.
‘Sexual tourism’
Meanwhile, US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. had hit the headlines late in September for saying that about 40 percent of male foreign tourists in the Philippines come for sex.
“That is not something I’m proud of. That's not something you should be proud of. I told [Justice] Secretary Leila de Lima that any American caught engaged in any of these crimes or cybersex should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and we will assist," Thomas said during a round-table discussion among Court of Appeals magistrates last Sept. 22.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) disputed the ambassador’s claim, saying that “shopping and sight-seeing are the dominant activities for both male and female tourists."
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also said foreign tourists who “are coming for darker reasons" are unwelcome.
“The Philippines is a beautiful country. Although we would like to see the number of tourist arrivals increase, we would want that our tourists, that our friends come here for the right reasons," she said. — MRT/VS/VVP, GMA News
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