BONGAO, Tawi-Tawi – Government agencies here have intensified its campaign against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) which has become a top international issue and a regional concern.
Thousands of Filipinos are using Tawi-Tawi as the "backdoor" entry point, to enter Malaysia illegally.
Police Inspector Elmira Relox, Chief of the Provincial Police's Women and Children Protection Desk said that in 2014, the Provincial Interagency Council Against Trafficking (PIACAT) have rescued 387 persons and up until November 2015, 396 persons.
Romualdo Seneris, regional coordinator for Central Visayas of Visayan Forum Foundation, Non-government organization campaigning against human trafficking said that on an average, at least five people enter Malaysia each day.
On the other hand, Malaysia in 2014 deported 8,158 persons and this year 9,441, including those who were trafficked.
Lawyer Milagros Isabel Cristobal, board member of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration-Women Sector Representative, reported that the Philippine government is making significant efforts to comply with the requirement of the United States Trafficking in Persons Act.
In the global scenario, it is estimated that 2.5 million people from 127 countries are trafficked annually, according to the data of United Nation's Global Initiative to Fight Trafficking (UN-GIFT).
"Fifty-six percent of the global human trafficking are happening in Asia Pacific, to which the Philippines is part," Cristobal said.
TIP has morphed into a global enterprise with an estimated worth of $32 billion and is related to illegal drug and guns trade.
Seneris said that in Tawi-Tawi, 98% of trafficked are women who are exposed to sex trade, bondage labor and drug running.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said sexual exploitation is the most common form of human trafficking at 78%, followed by forced labor at 18%.
Most of the victims are hired as waitress or Guest Relations Officers or household and plantation workers.
The Philippines is a source country, while Tawi-Tawi serves as the transshipment point for most trafficking cases. (READ: How to report suspected cases of human trafficking)
They would enter Malaysia without any passport, working visa or any documents.
"The traffickers are using the islands in Tawi-Tawi as the main staging points for the entry into Malaysia," Seneris said.
Cristobal showed that the top destination for undocumented Filipino workers are Malaysia, Singapore, Macau, Italy, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Israel, Italy, France and the USA.
"After they enter into Malaysia, some would just disappear and some would fly out from there," Seneris said.
The human trafficking route
Seneris and Cristobal revealed a high organized and funded trafficking route starting in Metro Manila where victims are housed and is taught on what they needed to do.
The human traffickers use the internet and mobile phones to plan and deliver the victims.
The victims are transported by plane or by land trip from Manila all the way to Zamboanga city where they would then travel to Bongao via boat.
Tawi-Tawi consists of 106 islands across Sulu and which make it almost impossible for law enforcement to stop all trafficking activities.
From Bongao, the victims would be taken to any of the island, with Sitangkay and Turtle Island near the Municipality of Mapun which is just 20 kilometers away from from Sabah as the main exit points to Malaysia.
"The traffickers are using social media to recruit and coordinate the trafficking and most of the time, the victims do not know who are the recruiters," Rosabella Delfinado, the Municipal IACAT coordinator of Bongao.
"Just last week, a 16-year old girl was trafficked in Bongao and she was raped by her contact," Delfinado said.
While the perpetrator were arrested for trafficking and raped, most of the victims would blend with the crowd and the MIACAT would not know where the trafficked went.
"Some of them are met on the seas while the boat is still on the way to the port, they would jump into smaller boats and speed away," Delfinado said.
While some boat trips have sea marshal for law enforcement, not all ships have one, so they MIACAT tapped the help of the ship's crew to report any suspected human trafficking.
Lack of opportunities in PH
When asked why people would put themselves in harm's way just to be able to work overseas, Cristobal said that the number one reason is economic gains.
"There is no or not enough opportunities here in our country and they victims thought that they will have better lives if they work overseas, even if it means going out illegally," Cristobal said. (READ: Desire to work abroad exploited by human traffickers)
The absence of a work and equal opportunities here have pushed thousands of Filipino to seek work overseas and the constricting rules on working overseas makes it more attractive for them to gamble the backdoor exit.
"They need to work, but what the victims do not know is that they will be going in for a dangerous situation, but they would gamble anyway," Seneris said.
The fact that the victims knew of the uncertainty they are facing, it is still a better alternative than to sit down at their own homes and not having any income.
Seneris estimates that the cost of trafficking a single person to Malaysia would cost up to P30,000, "and the victims thought that they are going in for free, but in fact it they have to pay for it thrice of even more."
The risk of sexual exploitation is also high and the fact that they don't have any legal documents means that they may not be able to access government programs and services while overseas.
"Working illegally in other countries can both work for or against you," Cristobal said.
No halfway house
While the MIACAT works and does all it can within its capacity, there is a need to establish a halfway house or rescue center to accommodate rescued TIPs.
At the current framework, rescued TIPs are brought to provincial police office where they would be house and the TIPs feels like they are criminals, instead of victims.
The implications here is that the TIPs would be become more defensive as they have not committed any crime but they are housed in a police compound, guarded.
The halfway house staff with social workers would then help in the change of perspective and feelings of the TIPs.
"We have made them understand that they are being rescued and not arrested," Delfinado said.
When will it stop?
Tawi-Tawi Governor Nurbert Sahali that dealing with trafficking and deportation is one of the biggest challenges the province is facing.
"When will the deportation stop? It is not our fault that we are here in this place," Sahali said.
While Tawi-Tawi wants to keep a good relationship with Sabah as 70% of their goods are from Malaysia, dealing with deportations and trafficking also affects that relationship.
Having to deal with almost 10 thousand deportation including trafficked cases annually, without support from the national government means that funds for other social services would have to spend for the support of the deportees.
Norzalina Alcala, the focal person of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for TIP said that at times, they have to personally spend for the food of the trafficked and deportees because they have limited funds.
"Just the fare for bringing them to Zamboanga City alone is already costing us money," Alcala said.
Some would even seek Sahali's help for fare going back to Malaysia because the deportees have already established there.
"There's nothing we can do, we need to spend for this people, provide them with services, and almost all of them came from other provinces that we need to send them back," Sahali
said.
Seneris said that there is a need to strengthen government institutions and coordination to address trafficking and the issue of deportation.
For an exit point, there is no presence of the Department of Foreign Affairs here and the POEA office here is only manned by one person.
"Let's face it; the numbers of deportees reflects the average of people who enters Malaysia illegally-the trafficked women and children and we have no support for them," Seneris said.
Seneris said that there is a need to disrupt the trade route of human trafficking but there is also a need to address the economic reasons why people do it in the first place.
Cristobal said that there is a need for the government to review the rules and regulations of the POEA to make it up to date and responsive to the changing times.
"Increasing penalty does not stop human trafficking, it does not lower trafficking incidents," Cristobal added.
As for the law enforcement offices in Tawi-Tawi, the cat and mouse game continues, with the mouse often, getting away from the chase, taking off in one of the 106 islands in the vast Celebes seas, disappearing like a mist into the island called Sabah. – Rappler.com