Rizal 2nd District Rep. Fidel Nograles on Friday, July 9 called on government to move for the adoption of the US State Department’s recommendations to eliminate human trafficking in the Philippines notwithstanding improving its efforts towards this end.

Nograles, vice chairman of the House Committee on Justice, said the State Department’s recommendations are aimed at increasing efforts to investigate, prosecute and convict government men and personnel involved in human trafficking.

The United States has also proposed stronger local government unit cooperation in providing “reintegration services and increased support” to government and non-government organizations to provide care for survivors.

“As we commemorate the National Anti-Trafficking in Persons Awareness Month, I hope that we will seriously look at the US State Department’s recommendations in our efforts to protect the Filipino people from the threat of human trafficking,” Nograles said.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared July as the National Anti-Trafficking in Persons Awareness Month.

The Philippines has retained its Tier 1 ranking in the 2021 Trafficking in Persons report recently released by the US State Department.

The report noted the government’s “serious and sustained efforts” to address human trafficking despite the pandemic, such as the prosecution of more alleged traffickers than in the previous period, increasing the number of prosecutors assigned to anti-trafficking task forces, and the establishment of a specialized shelter and one-stop service center in Manila.

The report said, however, that the government "did not convict any officials for complicity in trafficking crimes and did not vigorously investigate labor trafficking crimes that occurred within the Philippines or provide training to labor inspectors on the indicators of trafficking.”

Nograles stressed that retaining Tier 1 status and sa benefitting from better diplomatic relations with the United States are not excuses for complacency in the fight against human trafficking.

He pointed out that adopting the recommendations would “ultimately be for our people’s welfare.” “Huwag nating isipin ang pagpapanatili ng Tier 1 status natin, kundi ang mismong kapakanan ng mga kababayan natin. (Let’s not think about just retaining Tier 1 status but rather the welfare of our countrymen.)” said Nograles.

The Harvard-trained lawyer said: “Sa kalaunan, ang pagtugon sa mga rekomendasyong ito ay tungo sa pagsiguro ng kaligtasan ng mamamayang Pilipino. (In the long run, adopting these recommendations will ensure the safety of Filipinos).” Meanwhile, Nograles also urged Congress to pass House Bill No. 7633 or the Anti-Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children Act of 2020, which seeks to amend Section 9 of RA 9775.

“We in Congress should also do our part in protecting our children especially from sexual exploitation,” he stated.

The Department of Justice – Office of Cybercrime revealed that based on the data from the US-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, cyber tip reports in the Philippines increased by 209 percent from January to December 2020 (1,294,750 cyber tips) compared to 2019 (418,422 cyber tips).