Philippines to intensify efforts to crack down on human trafficking

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos has ordered the government to intensify the drive against human trafficking, a Department of Justice (DOJ) official said on Saturday.

At a media forum, Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said Marcos has given "specific instructions" to strengthen measures to crack down on human trafficking.

The Southeast Asian country continues to grapple with Filipinos falling victim to syndicates smuggling people out of the country in the guise of lucrative work. The Bureau of Immigration has barred nearly 14,000 Filipinos from leaving the country at airports from January to May this year, according to official data.

Clavano said Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos are hotspots for illegal trafficking victims.

"Our population is very migratory," Clavano said, adding that around 10 percent of the population seeks to find job opportunities abroad, which complicates the regulations on human trafficking.

The solution is to create more jobs in the Philippines and to limit the opportunities for human trafficking, he added.

Meanwhile, the Philippines is working with its Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) partners to strengthen cooperation against transnational crime.

"We engage with our counterparts from different countries so that we can gather the best practices and we can also keep up with the trends in the trafficking industry or area," Clavano said.

Marcos is expected to raise the issue at the ASEAN summit in Indonesia next month, Clavano added.