DILG chief cites agencies for anti-trafficking Tier 1 status

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos has lauded Philippine law enforcement agencies in its anti-trafficking efforts after the country retained its Tier 1 status in the US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report for the seventh year in a row.

Abalos said this proves that the government is firm in its resolve and commitment to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to squarely address the issue of TIP.

The Philippines was deemed to be fully compliant with minimum standards to eliminate trafficking that led to its Tier 1 status under the 2022 report.

“We assure the ASEAN community that the Philippine government under the leadership of President Marcos Jr. will actively work with its regional counterparts in undertaking regional and local measures to prevent and address transnational crimes,” Abalos said in a statement.

Among the countries with Tier 1 status are Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Singapore, UK and the USA.

Abalos lauded the IACAT, composed of different government agencies, for its whole of nation approach to combat human trafficking.

He said the Department of the Interior and Local Government continues to strengthen the capacities of local government units towards initiatives against TIP and on protecting their constituents.

“Let us continue and strengthen the campaign against trafficking in persons not only to retain our Tier 1 status but also to prevent our fellowmen from falling as victims and to make sure that those responsible for this crime will be prosecuted,” Abalos added.

The DILG said 867 victims of TIP were rescued and 117 suspects arrested in 134 operations from 2021 to 2022.

The Philippines also achieved milestones in six out of eight areas of regional cooperation in transnational crime including TIP, countering violent extremism, illicit drug trafficking, cybercrime, illicit trafficking of wildlife and timber and illicit firearms smuggling.

The department noted that the number of complaints has increased by 22.68 percent with 8,195 cybercrime complaints filed from July 2021 to May 2022 compared to the last period.