PB OKs code to fight sex tourism

CEBU, Philippines — The recently approved Provincial Tourism Code (PTC) strengthened the efforts of the provincial government to stop sex tourism in Cebu through prohibiting specific businesses and providing corresponding penalties.

The Provincial Board (PB) has passed the code via mass motion last week. In the 21-page document, three of the sixteen articles were centered on countering sex tourism.

First is the prohibition of lingam and yoni massage or other similar massage services, whether for free or for a fee.

As defined under Article VIII Section 8, these styles of massage include the massaging of a customer's genitals or nearby sensory spots which often results to orgasm.

This legislative move was made in the efforts to improve "the quality of conforming to the standards of propriety and morality."

Violators and their operators could be imprisoned for a year and pay a fine of P5,000, depending on the discretion of the court.  The local government units are the ones tasked to monitor and ensure that violators are apprehended.

Section 7 of Article X stipulates that failure of the city or municipal mayor to implement this provision of the ordinance can be charged with an administrative or criminal liability in accordance with the existing laws.

Meanwhile, Article VI highlights the provincial government's effort to stop child sex tourism.

Among the prohibited acts include taking nude pictures of a child or wearing skimpy attire, letting a child perform a lewd or lascivious act in front of any audio-video device for whatever purpose, allowing a child accompany sex tours, and employ a child to work in a tourism establishment.

On the other hand, tourism establishments are also mandated to make a written report if their guests are staying with minors for reference. Moreover, the management must also provide the government with the available CCTV footage if such is requested to aid in investigations.

Failure of the establishments to comply with this will result in the revocation or cancelation of its business permits.

In addition, Article VII declares the first week of November as Anti-Child Sex Tourism week across the province.

Under this article, the Cebu provincial government shall exert all efforts to provide a safe, secure, healthy, decent, and wholesome social environment for the growth and development of the children.

Inter-governmental relationship was also given emphasis, where the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO) is appointed as the general monitoring and implementing arm.

A Provincial Tourism Council, composed of at least twenty representatives coming from the Capitol, local government units and representatives from the private sector, is mandated to convene to discuss the Province's tourism programs and projects.

The governor is expected to release an executive order within 30 days after the passage of the ordinance to convene the Council.

Vice Governor Agnes Magpale sponsored the PTC or Provincial Ordinance No. 3439 series of 2017.

In the PB session a week ago, PB member Jerome Christian Librando co-sponsored the ordinance because the vice governor was out of the country.

The final version included revisions on the inclusion of the representatives from the Association of Barangay Captains and League of Municipalities of the Philippines; and the clause mandating that local tour guides must be prioritized. —/GAN (FREEMAN)