World | Philippines
In a statement, the presidential palace said the government will intensify its fight against human trafficking
- By Gilbert P. Felongco, Correspondent
- Published: 15:18 October 8, 2011
Manila: The Philippines has resolved to step up its fight versus human trafficking despite an envoy's apology for remarks he made during a forum where he said that most foreigners who visit the country do so for cheap sex.
In a statement, the presidential palace said the government will intensify its fight against human trafficking even after US Ambassador to the country, Harry Thomas Jr, apologised for the comments he made during a forum in Manila, which was attended by local digitaries.
During the round-table forum, last Sept. 22 which was attended by Filipino as well as American judicial luminaries, Thomas had said that 40 per cent of foreign, visitors, including Americans, visit the Philippines for sexual reasons.
Thomas' remarks ruffled local feathers to the point that several legislators demanded that the ambassador be censured for his statements. One senator even suggested that the envoy be recalled.
But more than two weeks after Thomas made the stinging remark, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said, that in so far as the Palace is concerned, the issue on Thomas' sex tourism comment is already "closed."
Lacierda, in a radio interview aired over state-run dzRB, said he had personally spoken with (Philippine) Foreign Affairs Secretary and that the latter informed him that Thomas regretted making such a statement.
"We were informed that the Ambassador already issued through a text message his regret over the statement that he made. So we consider the issue a closed case, but our fight against human trafficking continues," Lacierda said.
Lacierda said that it's clear that the Thomas' statements aren't backed up with proper statistics.
The Philippine government had taken exception of Thomas' statement as the Manila had been toeing the US line against human trafficking for several years.
The Philippines tried its best to keep up with the US State Department's prescriptions to keep the country off its list of country's abetting or not doing enough to combat human trafficking.
The Philippines had recently been removed from the Tier 2 Watchlist in the 2011 State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.
Thomas, himself had said that the US had provided over $6.6 million to the Philippines to bolster its anti-human trafficking programmes.
According to the TIP report, the Philippines remains a source country as well as destination of people being trafficked. These trafficked individuals end up in prostitution joints, sweatshops among others, in the Philippines as well as abroad.
Lacierda sad the Philippines continue to take steps against these kind of exploitation.
"We continue to prosecute people who are taking advantage of our people and our young ones," he added.
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