POSITION PAPER

The Need for Responsive Government Approach to the

Prostitution in the Philippines

Submitted by:

Zyron T. Lopez

Submitted to:

Christopher Dumlao
 The subject of prostitution, being oten a sensational, but always a commercial source of
rejection or of fascination, has been dealt with in very controversial ways. Prostitution is the
shadowed part of societies, revealing various social awkwardness and inequalities, particularly
between men and woman, in terms of power and money. What is prostitution? A ‫۔‬yawning and
disgusting chasm ,and ignominious exploitation ,‫۔‬the dark side of civilization ,‫۔‬the biggest
turpitude of capitalism , the oldest profession in the world ,‫۔‬a necessary evil ,‫۔‬a business like any
other , are some of the various ways to qualify the phenomenon of venal love. Prostitution is an
ongoing subject of debate for politicians, lawyers, health professionals, sociologists and NGO
activists. he analysis of the social phenomenon of prostitution differs greatly, according to the
different ideological orientations of the protagonists. hey focus on two essential points: the
existence of a forced prostitution and a voluntary and unforced prostitution and the status that
has to be accorded to this kind of prostitution.

Prostitution is a gendered, sexualized, and racialized labor system, one that typically
involves the exchange of sexual services for money, goods, or other benefits (Shih, 2015). As the
time goes by, the economy is slowly being swallowed by this issue and the risky part is that irt
can be located near schools and are easy to visit, mainly in Olongapo City and Subic.

The government has laws that protect women from prostitution such as the Magna Carta
for Women. However, due to the poverty and unprogressive economy, prostitution became one
of the major sources of income especially for those who are single mothers, although prostitution
happens for both men and women. By accepting the fact that even the government and the
religious beliefs can’t stop this, we must at least prevent this by viewing it as a serious issue.

The selling of sexual services, in all of its different forms in Southeast Asia, is far from
being simple. he context that surrounds prostitution must also be taken into consideration, and
the fact that prostitution is both an ancient tradition and the result of rapid economic and social
upheaval must not be discarded. he development and expansion of prostitution can be easily
linked with numerous economic developments; the development of land, the exploitation of
natural resources, the instigation of building sites, mines, plantations, ports, military bases and
large infrastructures, not forgetting an ever growing industrialization and urbanization. he
economy first started to take of in the 19th century, leading to the migration of many mainly
male, often single workers. his had a direct consequence on the increase in the supply of and the
demand for paid sex. Other factors that have stimulated the increase of commercial sex include
poverty, unemployment and the necessity of plural activities. All these factors have had direct
consequences, encouraging men’s and women’s dirt from the countryside, thus increasing the
informal sector. For prostitutes and those who make money from prostitution, the advantages of
migration are clear (see in this volume Hugo whose paper is entirely devoted to mobility. Hulls
paper in the present volume clearly shows the connections between economic development and a
rising demand for prostitutes by male migrant workers all over the Indonesian archipelago).
Furthermore, marital instability, marriage failure and divorces have also had an impact on the
increase of prostitution.
 Poverty has always been a major factor compelling Filipinas to go into prostitution.
During the Spanish colonial period, the previous jobs manifest their depressed economic
condition. The records showed that they were laundry washers, seamstresses, cigarette vendors,
workers, vagabonds and mistresses abandoned by the members of the colonial forces.19 War and
the preparation for war on the part of the colonial and neo-colonial powers have also contributed
to the rise of prostitution. Prostitution increased in the last decades of Spanish colonial rule (end
of 19th century) due to the arrival of thousands of Spanish soldiers who were brought from Spain
to crush the Philippine revolution.20 In like manner, prostitution increased at the height of the
Philippine-American War in 1900 due to the destitution and ruin brought about by the conflict as
well as the presence of thousands of American soldiers.21 Another significant increase in
prostitution occurred around the 1970’s partly because of the escalation of the war in Vietnam
and the transformation of the Subic naval base as a center of services including being a rest and
recreation area for American soldiers. Many of the prostituted women came from the most
economically depressed regions of Bicol and Eastern Visayas. The major beneficiaries of the
servicing activities, aside from the American military, were the brothel owners and government
officials. In 1970, one-third of the city-council officials had interests in the prostitution
industry.22 To assure their income, they even passed a law prohibiting independent solicitation
outside the clubs.

Now, what I am trying to say is that the Philippines situation is clearly unresponsive in
solving this issue. As mentioned earlier, poverty, specifically the lack of jobs to be offered
mainly for the uneducated and single mothers serves as catalyst for the increasing rate of
prostitution cases. Sadly, prostitution in the Philippines increasingly becomes more and more
prone to the millennial. I firmly say that the Philippines really need multidisciplinary actions
when it comes to preventing the issue. The problem will never be solved unless the government
actions become more serious. There must be no bars and clubs near public areas and school.
Prevent this by being more serious, start the changing the society for better future.