Newly appointed Executive Director Hannah Lizette S. Manalili of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) took her oath of office before Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla.
In a statement, the IACAT said it “stands proudly with Executive Director Hannah Manalili as she takes on this vital mission.”
With Manalili’s leadership, the council said that the IACAT – together with all member-agencies and partners -- will continue to strengthen the whole-of-nation fight against human trafficking through prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership.
Manalili, a lawyer, succeeded Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Wendell P. Bendoval.
The IACAT, which is headed by the DOJ, was set up as the central coordinating body that monitors and oversees the strict implementation of Republic Act 10364, the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.
Manalili finished her Business Economics degree and Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines (UP). She was a former associate of the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala and Cruz (ACCRA) Law Offices.
She later became a lawyer for the Space Policy and International Cooperation Bureau of the Philippine Space Agency.
In 2023, Manalili joined the DOJ as chief of the Operations Division of the IACAT.
In November last year, she was designated officer-in-charge executive director of IACAT.