Despite this achievement, the same Report identified several issues to which the Philippine
government could improve including the failure to convict officials who were allegedly
complicit in trafficking crimes, lack of vigorous investigation of labor trafficking crimes, lack of
training to labor inspectors on trafficking indicators; and the reduction of identified victims of
trafficking.
In support of the US State Department TIP Report’s finding on government officials who may
be complicit in these crimes, reports have surfaced over certain government officials who
have been bribed and have colluded with trafficking syndicates. A National Police Commission
(NAPOLCOM)-led research10 succinctly describes the problem in this wise:
“xxx According to government experts, there are reports that smuggling and
trafficking syndicates pay off vulnerable consular officers of the different
embassies for the issuance of genuine entry visas. Syndicates also pay off
vulnerable immigration, customs and police officers to facilitate victims'
departure from their country of origin and entry into the country of
destination. Other officers who might be susceptible to such corruption are
airport personnel, airline personnel, coast guards, officers of the Department
of Labour and Employment (DOLE), the Philippines Overseas Employment
Agency (POEA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and police and immigration officers
assigned at the ports of exits/entry. xxx”
Moreover, the Covid-19 pandemic has also raised concerns over the vulnerability of children
from abuse and exploitation. During the height of strict lockdowns last year, the Office of
Cybercrime of the Department of Justice reported a 260 percent increase in cyber-tips related
to online sexual exploitation and abuse of children (OSEAC).11 An investigative report also
cited that more than 1.29 million images and videos of child abuse materials came from the
Philippines in 2020, attributing the data to the rise in unemployment among Filipinos during
the pandemic.12
Several forms of trafficking have emerged throughout the decades such as labor trafficking,
sex trafficking, child trafficking, cyber trafficking, among others. While OSEAC may be
categorized differently, such heinous act may be prosecuted under present trafficking, antichild pornography, and child abuse laws.
Before the global pandemic, the Philippines has been tagged as the global epicenter of livestream sexual abuse; the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) in
10
Leones, Celia and Caparas, Donna, Trafficking in Human Beings from the Philippines: A Survey of
Government Experts and Law Enforcement Case Files (United Nations Global Programme against
Trafficking in Human Beings, 2003)
11
Manila
Bulletin.
(2021).
Save
our
children
(Editorial).
Available
at:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/06/04/save-our-children/
12
Servallos, Neil Jayson (2021). The Filipino mothers selling their children for online sexual abuse. Rappler.
Available at: https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/filipino-mothers-selling-their-childrenonline-sexual-abuse
40
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