Last year the US State Department singled out Zamboanga Assistant City Prosecutor Darlene Pajarito for the Trafficking in Persons’ Hero Award for her handling the largest number of successful human trafficking prosecutions in the Philippines. Every one of you can be a Darlene Pajarito given the opportunity to serve. I have no doubt about it. With the creation of IBP legal assistance units for OFW and action teams against human traffickers all over the country, the sterling accomplishment of Prosecutor Darlene will surely be replicated several folds.
The opportunity for service cannot be lesser than the challenges. These are some facts and statistics:
- The United Nations registered 600 minors under the classification for child soldiers in the service of the MILF in April;
- In the past year, the Bureau of Immigration intercepted 28,000 potential victims of trafficking;
- Another 1,800 persons were intercepted through joint efforts with NGOs at the various seaports in the whole nation;
- There is also the case of qualified trafficking against a fishing company and a recruiter of fish workers in Negros Oriental. Based on their contract with 250 fishermen, the company retains 80 per cent of the gross sales, while 20 per cent are to be paid to the fishermen. The said company made illegal deductions from the 20 per cent share of the earnings from the fishing expeditions of the fishermen. Because of these deductions the fishermen did not receive any payment for their 10-month fishing trip. Meanwhile, the company gained more than 25,000 tubs of fish and generated gross sales of P47 Million;
- Also more recently, due to the security threats in Syria and Libya we have sought to repatriate OFWs there. But some foreign employers are taking advantage of the situation by asking to be compensated for sending their employees home.
There are many other cases, which remain undocumented.
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