I belong to the Iranun , one of the Moro ethnic tribe in the Southern Philippines.
I advocates: Peace & Justice
September 5, 2009
(Alih Anso- September 5. 2009 Radio DXUP-FM, Upi, Mindanao, Philippines)
Filipinos are referred to as “Overseas Filipino Workers” or “OFWs”. The term “Global Filipino” is another term of more recent vintage but less widely used.
OFW dubbed as the country’s modern day heroes, and contribute a lot to the nation’s growth and development. They have to leave their own families to work abroad as professionals, engineers, office and factory workers and often as domestic helpers.
OFWs today has a total workforce of 747,696 where land based workers are 559,227 and sea based workers 188,469.
Each year, more than a million Filipinos leave to work abroad through overseas employment agencies and other programs, including government sponsored ones.
Others emigrate and become permanent residents of other countries. Overseas Filipinos work as doctors, physical therapists, nurses, accountants, IT professionals, engineers, architects, entertainers, technicians, teachers, military servicemen, students, caregivers, domestic helpers and often as a household maids (or domestic helper - DH).
According to a former Domestic helper (DH) their employer paid US$ 7,000 to her agency, a legalized human trafficking?
Human trafficking in the country is becoming worst as the reports says: “…. that the Philippines is fast-becoming a transit point for international human trafficking. A reason why a member of House of representative seeking for investigation of the issue”.
The issue of www.philstar.com July 17, 2009, quoting Congressman Jonathan Dela Cruz said the recent arrests of foreigners using fake passports and fake travel documents confirm reports that the country is being used as a transit point for human trafficking.
The hotspot provinces in Mindanao reportedly include Cotabato, Maguindanao, and Davao.
But Vice Mayor Abdullah P. Salik Jr. Al Haj currently chairman of Regional Anti-Human Trafficking in ARMM, does not confirm nor deny the data release to media.
“Maybe before 2007, there were reported incidents but we are waiting for the official reports from the concerned agencies” Salik added.
The number of human trafficking cases in the Philippines doubled in the first half of 2009, a non-government organization said Wednesday.
The Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc. (VFFI) said that in 2008, 90 human trafficking cases were lodged before Philippine courts. From January to June in 2009, or only six months, the number jumped to almost 200.
Mrs Malou Diestro, Department of Social Welfare (DSWD) worker assigned in Upi said: “…lots of reported human trafficking in Upi, few years ago”.
“We have some cases which can be considered as human trafficking but we can reveal it to media for the protection of victims..” a revelation from PO2 Margie Pahati, Philippine National Police (PNP) in charge of Violence Against Women & Children (VAWC) assigned in Upi, Maguindanao.
One of the “modus operandi” of recruitment agency, let the “victim” signed a contract as domestic helper in other countries, in which she/he will received a salary of 400 US $, but before he left the country her agency will let her signed a sub-contract (not registered to Philippine government) in which stating she will just received a salary of 150-200 US $. In which no one of the recruited migrant worker reported to the authority, because they need the money.
“Kapit sa patalim” (holds a blade knife), because of poverty. they just accept the offer for human survival .
They were recruited by members of syndicates, processing and documentation of their employment abroad was facilitated by corrupt civil servants.
According to the reports of 2008 Country Review on Human Rights Practices in East Asia and the Pacific by the United Stated Department, reported that Filipino women and children who were victimized were forced to work as household, factory and sex workers.
The unstable economic and political situation in the Philippines is one of the major causes why Filipinos prefer to work abroad. Filipino workers could not see any hope from their leaders to achieve prosperity for the country.
Various recommendation from various sectors were recommended for the stopping or eradicating this in-human act.
Human trafficking should be taught in school as suggest by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) executive.
If this NBI chief agent had his way, the problem of human trafficking and how not to be caught in the traffickers’ snares would be discussed among schoolchildren.
“Law enforcers should go to primary and secondary schools to educate kids, especially young girls, on human trafficking,” said Ferdinand Lavin, chief of the National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division.
“The campaign should be focused on grades five to high school because these minors are often the target of syndicates,” he added in a recent informal chat with reporters. He said the campaign should be mounted with the help of Department of Education officials.
“We should strengthen the preventive aspect, perhaps by information dissemination,” he said. “IACAT (Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking) should also map out where the victims came from and focus on info dissemination in that particular area.”
In Upi, Maguindanao, particular in community radio-DXUP FM, advocacy program in combating human trafficking was adopted . Regular airing of anti-human trafficking plugs and incorporating topics to talk show programs, like: Udto na Adi, Suara Talainged, Kaadat-adatan were practiced regularly.
