Home DMIA choice for human traffickers—Ople
MANILA, Philippines—The Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Pampanga has become “the obvious choice” for human traffickers victimizing Filipinas, Susan Ople of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center said.
The rise of budget flights in the airport, the relatively lenient security procedures there, and the lack of media practitioners covering the facility make DMIA an ideal takeoff point for human traffickers and illegal recruiters, Ople told INQUIRER.net.
The center, which has been helping provide social and legal aid to victims, was approached by two victims who left for Malaysia through DMIA. The two (the Anti-Human Trafficking Act protects the privacy of both victim and suspect and prohibits revealing their names) have been instrumental in the filing of case against 15 people, mostly immigration personnel assigned at DMIA.
However, former justice chief Alberto Agra has dropped the case two days before his term of office ended. Ople is thus asking Justice Secretary Leila De Lima to reverse the decision of her predecessor.
The Department of Justice investigation that followed the two victims’ complaint showed that bribes were collected from passengers at the DMIA every day, and that everyone who works at the airport—from the Bureau of Immigration, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, airport police, airport security, airlines and travel agencies personnel, and even airport utility—are in conspiracy to allow the entry and exit of undocumented passengers in exchange for a fee.
Details of the conspiracy were detailed by Racel Ong, an immigration agent who was originally part of the syndicate but who eventually turned against her cohorts after she was identified by the two victims during a seminar on human trafficking in DMIA.
"This case was initiated and pursued by the justice department under then Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor. It prospered because of the cooperation of the victims, and with the assistance of the Ople Center,” Ople said.
“Not once were we called by the justice secretary before he issued his decision. Based on his memorandum, it seems he listened only to the respondents named by Racel Ong, and ruled in their favor even if he also admitted in writing that their denials were inherently weak as a defense. His memorandum reeks of sloppy and lopsided reasoning based on incomplete information, perhaps prompted by the haste in its composition," Ople added.
The DoJ panel of investigators recommended the filing of charges for grave misconduct, dishonesty, gross neglect of duties, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against the respondents implicated by Ong.
"The growing number of victims who have approached the Ople Center and other NGOs for help did pass through DMIA, and were escorted or assisted by immigration agents. Incredible, perhaps, but definitely true. It is the first time that an immigration agent has confessed to being part of an escort syndicate. We now appeal to the new justice secretary to reverse the Agra memorandum and give this case the priority it deserves," Ople said.
Ople also called on the Senate to look into the rising number of trafficked victims in aid of legislation citing loopholes in the Anti-Trafficking Act of 2003. Under Section 7, the law states that the victim and the accused are entitled to their right to privacy. Media entities and non-government organizations are prevented by the law in reporting to the public the activities of notorious human traffickers even those considered as fugitives from the law.
The Agra decision came several weeks after the United States State Department put the Philippines in the Tier 2 Watch List for countries that have a significant number of trafficked victims and failed to show increasing efforts to combat severe forms of human trafficking.
As the Philippines was on the Tier 2 Watch List in 2009 and 2010, it faces a downgrade to Tier 3 in 2011 unless the country increases its conviction rate and reduces evidence of complicity in trafficking by government officials.
"We in the NGO sector are very much concerned over the government's failure to combat human trafficking. We look forward to initiatives under the new leadership to create more jobs and enhance services for overseas workers. More importantly, we are hopeful that the justice department and other agencies would now give the anti-trafficking campaign the support and attention that it deserves," Ople said.
The rise of budget flights in the airport, the relatively lenient security procedures there, and the lack of media practitioners covering the facility make DMIA an ideal takeoff point for human traffickers and illegal recruiters, Ople told INQUIRER.net.
The center, which has been helping provide social and legal aid to victims, was approached by two victims who left for Malaysia through DMIA. The two (the Anti-Human Trafficking Act protects the privacy of both victim and suspect and prohibits revealing their names) have been instrumental in the filing of case against 15 people, mostly immigration personnel assigned at DMIA.
However, former justice chief Alberto Agra has dropped the case two days before his term of office ended. Ople is thus asking Justice Secretary Leila De Lima to reverse the decision of her predecessor.
The Department of Justice investigation that followed the two victims’ complaint showed that bribes were collected from passengers at the DMIA every day, and that everyone who works at the airport—from the Bureau of Immigration, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, airport police, airport security, airlines and travel agencies personnel, and even airport utility—are in conspiracy to allow the entry and exit of undocumented passengers in exchange for a fee.
Details of the conspiracy were detailed by Racel Ong, an immigration agent who was originally part of the syndicate but who eventually turned against her cohorts after she was identified by the two victims during a seminar on human trafficking in DMIA.
"This case was initiated and pursued by the justice department under then Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor. It prospered because of the cooperation of the victims, and with the assistance of the Ople Center,” Ople said.
“Not once were we called by the justice secretary before he issued his decision. Based on his memorandum, it seems he listened only to the respondents named by Racel Ong, and ruled in their favor even if he also admitted in writing that their denials were inherently weak as a defense. His memorandum reeks of sloppy and lopsided reasoning based on incomplete information, perhaps prompted by the haste in its composition," Ople added.
The DoJ panel of investigators recommended the filing of charges for grave misconduct, dishonesty, gross neglect of duties, and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against the respondents implicated by Ong.
"The growing number of victims who have approached the Ople Center and other NGOs for help did pass through DMIA, and were escorted or assisted by immigration agents. Incredible, perhaps, but definitely true. It is the first time that an immigration agent has confessed to being part of an escort syndicate. We now appeal to the new justice secretary to reverse the Agra memorandum and give this case the priority it deserves," Ople said.
Ople also called on the Senate to look into the rising number of trafficked victims in aid of legislation citing loopholes in the Anti-Trafficking Act of 2003. Under Section 7, the law states that the victim and the accused are entitled to their right to privacy. Media entities and non-government organizations are prevented by the law in reporting to the public the activities of notorious human traffickers even those considered as fugitives from the law.
The Agra decision came several weeks after the United States State Department put the Philippines in the Tier 2 Watch List for countries that have a significant number of trafficked victims and failed to show increasing efforts to combat severe forms of human trafficking.
As the Philippines was on the Tier 2 Watch List in 2009 and 2010, it faces a downgrade to Tier 3 in 2011 unless the country increases its conviction rate and reduces evidence of complicity in trafficking by government officials.
"We in the NGO sector are very much concerned over the government's failure to combat human trafficking. We look forward to initiatives under the new leadership to create more jobs and enhance services for overseas workers. More importantly, we are hopeful that the justice department and other agencies would now give the anti-trafficking campaign the support and attention that it deserves," Ople said.
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