"Human Trafficking in the

Philippines: The Need for An

Effective Anti-Corruption
Program"
by Andrew P. Guth

Presented by
Alaba, Abegail
Jamesola, Mean Joyce

BA Philippines Studies 2-1

 OBJECTIVES
1. Determine the trafficking problem in the Philippines.

Identify the current tactics used by the government to prevent

2.
trafficking.

3. Explain further the challenges that the government faces in

eradicating human trafficking in the Philippines.

 in os are pr os titu ted in
• 500,000 Filip
pine s 7 5,0 00 –1 00 ,000 of
the Philip
those are children.

TRAFFICKING IN • 1,000,000 Overseas Filip

ino Workers (OFWs) ex
PERSONS: PHILIPPINES the Philippines every year ported from
in search of work, an estim
1,000,000 domestic child ated
workers, approximately 6,
marriages each year, and 400 foreign
reports of over 3,000 kidn
ey transplants
in 2007 alone.

• According to a 1998 report by the Philippine

government, there are roughly 1,200,000
street children.
RECRUITERS AND
TRAFFICKERS Organize C
rime Grou
ps
- Yakuza
- Triads
- Fraudule
nt Mail-or
der Bride
Organizat
ions

R e c r u i t e r s
Legal
n t a g e n c i e s
e
- employm n d t h e y a r e
s o r ed t h e ma
spon d b y t he
autho r i z e
u i t p o t e n t ial
r n m e n t r e cr
gove
victims.
Transport
Routes and - trans po rte d by Ma
e e a
h
s
a
t
r
s
l
id
ik
e
a (t h
of the
at

gh th
runs throu y t e) and
Method thro ug h Le
Philippines n s d o w n the - Two Reasons why Sex
ca l H ig h w ay (ru
Naut i N eg r os Traffickers like to keep
ro u g h
west side th r i e n t al). their victims moving from
a n d O
Occidental
one place to another;

First, it keeps the girls off kilter. (by not allowing them
to get used to their surroundings, also it prevents them
from acquiring trusted acquaintance in the area that
may help them escape).

Second, is financial. (the more often new girls are

brought into the bars the more often the customers
return to inquire about the new girls).
CURRENT TACTICS TO CURB
TRAFFICKING GOVERNMENT
ORGANIZATIONS
Preve
Government Organizations n
gover tion is m
nmen andat
inclu t inst ed by
ding itutio some
Unit t h e n s/
(LGU Local Go agencies,
Over ) and the vernment
Admi seas Em Philip
pine
sed impo nistra ploym
w p a s rtant tion ( ent
a l a a t inclu r P O
2 08 i s e nt t h ding ole falls u EA). The
A c t 9 er n m to pro the ci pon e
b l i c e g o v , a n d tect t t ies an ach L
u
Rep Philippi minaliz n e heir r d mu GU
a n n
victim esidents f icipalitie
t h e , cr i u m
by d e f i ne c t o fh i z e s of tra rom b s
wi l l t h e a t h o r fficki e ing a
a l i z e a c t a u f o r ng
pe n h i s ra m s
i n g . T p r o g
f f i c k o v i d e , a n d
tr a t o pr c t in g n s
c i e s r o t e e rs o
agen venting, p fficked p 2003)
pre ating tra lippines
b i l it e P h i
a
reh ess of th
o n g r
(C
 NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS

- There are a lot of NGOs that help people who experience abuse from other people,
parents, or spouses. Aside from government organizations, NGOs were also the ones
who helped in combating human trafficking and rehabilitation of trafficked persons.

- Visayan Forum Foundation is a Philippine NGO established in 1991. Visayan Forum has
multiple programs including the Kasambahay Program that focus on child domestic
work and provide an immediate intervention when it comes to human trafficking
including access to medical and legal services (Visayan Forum Foundation Inc. 2008)
 - The Philippines is aggressively combating the worsening
issue of human trafficking where most of the citizens
especially women and children who are suffering from
Impact. poverty become victims of illegal agencies.

- Many government employees and elected officials have

made many years and much effort, NGOs and even
international agencies began to have an interest as human
trafficking in the Philippines continues to get worse,
 CORRUPTION IN THE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT UNIT
A lot of ways can be done to curb human trafficking and one
of it corruption committed by government officials through
legal and economic oppression must be restrained as it
facilitates human trafficking and help those crime groups in
avoidance of legal penalties.
Legal and
Economic
Oppression
- One way to maintain power is to control the legal process at the
municipal level. Often times the city mayor and barangay captain
handle the settlement of judicial issues. The citizens are often
robbed of the power granted to them in the judicial system.

- The mayor appoints the municipal assessor, accountant, budget

officer, and planning and development coordinator. The
influence of the mayor to these offices gives him great economic
power and when the power is unsupervised, there is a high risk of
economic oppression through corrupt actions.
ANALYSIS “The only way to effectively stop human trafficking is to tackle these
two problems together with improved cross-border collaboration,
stronger enforcement, and a greater emphasis on fighting corruption.”
The paper revolved mostly with this idea, and sections after sections,
this claim is being supported by population tally, information about
previous and existing reports of human trafficking, as well as the
pro jection of corrup tion happen ing her e in our cou ntry to the gro wth
of the victim’s population, The article served an overview of human
trafficking here in the Philippines. Its sections discussed the scope of the
problem such as the recruiters, and the traffickers themselves.o
n are:
Conclusion
Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos are trafficked at any given time into
prostitution, domestic work, and organ trafficking. They are trafficked
domestically and internationally by strangers, friends, and sometimes family
members. To curb the human trafficking that is experienced by our fellow
Filipinos is to resolve or put an end to legal and economic oppression due to
corrupt practices. Proper implementation of policy at the municipal level will
lead to a re-growth of the economic and legal system. By that, it will produce
an empowerment of the people a safer migration, and a reduction of human
trafficking.
THANK
YOU!