"(i) Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) – shall institute a
systematic information and prevention campaign in coordination with pertinent
agencies of government as provided for in this Act. It shall provide training
programs to local government units, in coordination with the Council, in
ensuring wide understanding and application of this Act at the local level.
"(j) Commission on Filipinos Overseas – shall conduct pre-departure counseling
services for Filipinos in intermarriages. It shall develop a system for
accreditation of NGOs that may be mobilized for purposes of conducting predeparture counseling services for Filipinos in intermarriages. As such, it shall
ensure that the counselors contemplated under this Act shall have the minimum
qualifications and training of guidance counselors as provided for by law.
"It shall likewise assist in the conduct of information campaigns against
trafficking in coordination with local government units, the Philippine Information
Agency, and NGOs.
"(k) Local government units (LGUs) – shall monitor and document cases of
trafficking in persons in their areas of jurisdiction, effect the cancellation of
licenses of establishments which violate the provisions of this Act and ensure
effective prosecution of such cases. They shall also undertake an information
campaign against trafficking in persons through the establishment of the
Migrants Advisory and Information Network (MAIN) desks in municipalities or
provinces in coordination with the DILG, Philippine Information Agency (PIA),
Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), NGOs and other concerned
agencies. They shall encourage and support community-based initiatives which
address the trafficking in persons.
"In implementing this Act, the agencies concerned may seek and enlist the
assistance of NGOs, people’s organizations (POs), civic organizations and
other volunteer groups."
Section 16. A new Section 16-A is hereby inserted into Republic Act No. 9208, to read as follows:
"SEC. 16-A. Anti-Trafficking in Persons Database. – An anti-trafficking in persons
central database shall be established by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking
created under Section 20 of this Act. The Council shall submit a report to the President
of the Philippines and to Congress, on or before January 15 of every year, with respect
to the preceding year’s programs and data on trafficking-related cases.
"All government agencies tasked under the law to undertake programs and render
assistance to address trafficking in persons shall develop their respective monitoring
and data collection systems, and databases, for purposes of ensuring efficient
collection and storage of data on cases of trafficking in persons handled by their
respective offices. Such data shall be submitted to the Council for integration in a
central database system.
"For this purpose, the Council is hereby tasked to ensure the harmonization and
standardization of databases, including minimum data requirements, definitions,
reporting formats, data collection systems, and data verification systems. Such
databases shall have, at the minimum, the following information: