Authorities are confident that the Philippines will achieve its 10th consecutive year in tier one of the United States Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, a rare feat even among developed nations.

Only 30 countries worldwide currently hold the tier one designation and the Philippines has earned the distinction for nine straight years, according to to Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) Undersecretary-in-Charge Nicholas Felix Ty.

And for Secretary Dante “Klink” Ang II, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), which he heads, played a key role in initiating programs targeting trafficking vulnerabilities, especially among Filipino women, children, and overseas-bound individuals.

One of them, he said is the CFO’s Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) plays a frontline role in identifying red flags among Filipinos departing the country to join foreign spouses.

Ty, during the program ‘The Chairman’s Report’ hosted by Ang, said the Philippines’ status in the fight against human trafficking is built not on the absence of cases, but on the government’s consistent and aggressive efforts to combat exploitation in all its forms.

“To maintain the tier one ranking, it’s not about the incidence of human trafficking but about the effort. There are countries who continue to have a human trafficking problem but remain in tier one because the U.S. State Department sees that the country’s effort meets the minimum standard. It’s not just about prosecution; it’s about protection and prevention as well,” said Ty.

Ty also acknowledged the challenge this poses, especially when the government appears to interfere with personal decisions: “Sometimes we get in the way of employment; here we get in the way of love.”

“But in the end, the government is just here to protect particular interests, and in this instance, it is the interests of Filipino individuals who may be susceptible or vulnerable to human trafficking or the evils out there,” he said.

Ty warned that human trafficking has evolved rapidly in the digital age. Cases of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC), for instance, have escalated due to a confluence of vulnerabilities—including poverty, English fluency, digital access, and technological literacy.

“Even if these children are in their own homes, because their sexual services are being offered to foreign nationals abroad, that constitutes human trafficking,” he stressed.

The interview also tackled growing concerns over surrogacy scams, which currently fall in a legal gray area in the Philippines.

Ty cited cases where Filipinas were offered large sums of money—up to half a million pesos—for entering surrogacy arrangements abroad, only to face legal trouble in countries like Cambodia where surrogacy is prohibited.

“If you are considering such an agreement, please don’t,” he advised. “We do not recognize that in the Philippines.”

Ang and Ty also touched on marriage scams, where Filipinas travel abroad as supposed spouses but end up as domestic workers or victims of abuse.

The CFO’s GCP serves as a safeguard in such cases, helping ensure that outbound Filipinos are fully aware of the risks and realities of their destinations.