US embassy cable - 05MANILA2200

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MANILA 002200 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/PMBS, G/TIP, EAP/RSP, INL, DRL 
IIP/G/EAP - PRIETO 
DEPARTMENT PLEASE PASS USAID FOR ANE/TS - SAULS 
LABOR FOR ILAB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, PGOV, KWMN, ELAB, RP 
SUBJECT: NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN COMBATING 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS 
 
REF: A. MANILA 971 
 
     B. MANILA 670 
 
1.  (U) Summary:  The Philippines has many top quality NGOs 
focused on trafficking in persons (TIP) and they enjoy a 
close working relationship with the Philippine government. 
Key NGOs making contributions in prosecution (a unique 
feature of Philippine law permits NGOs to press forward cases 
as prosecutors), protection, and prevention are discussed in 
Paras 6-8 below.  Philippine NGOs have a very high absorptive 
capacity and USG grants multiply the impact of their anti-TIP 
efforts.  End Summary. 
 
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Anti-TIP NGOs 
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2.  (U) The Philippines has many top quality NGOs focused on 
TIP.  There are over a dozen working on TIP nationwide, as 
well as scores of smaller, local NGOs tackling the problem in 
their communities.  Some of these NGOs such as the 
International Justice Mission (IJM), which is involved in 
investigation and prosecution, are local outlets of 
international NGOs.  Others, such as the Visayan Forum 
Foundation (VFF), which is engaged in protection, are 
homegrown.  Anti-TIP NGOs coordinate with each other through 
the Multi-Sectoral Network Against Trafficking (MSNAT). 
 
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Close Working Ties with the GRP 
------------------------------- 
 
3.  (U) NGOs enjoy a close working relationship with the GRP. 
 On a rotating basis, three NGOs are represented on the 
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), which was 
formed pursuant to the 2003 Anti-Trafficking law.  NGOs are 
also assisting IACAT to develop a national database to track 
trafficking statistics.  Senior government officials, such as 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 
Undersecretary Lourdes G. Balanon, have publicly reiterated 
that the GRP highly values the synergy it has achieved with 
NGOs in combating TIP.  Several GRP agencies have formal 
relationships with NGOs.  As a sign of its commitment to 
cooperate with NGOs, for example, DSWD provides free office 
space to the Child Justice League (CJL), which focuses on 
investigation and prosecution (see below).  In addition, the 
Department of Health closely coordinates with local NGOs to 
provide crisis intervention, and child protection and 
counseling to TIP victims undergoing treatment in government 
hospitals. 
 
4.  (U) Another example of close GRP-NGO cooperation involves 
the unique feature of Philippine law that permits NGOs to 
press forward cases as prosecutors.  According to a 2002 
circular published by the Supreme Court, private attorneys 
may be authorized to work as prosecutors if there is a "heavy 
work schedule (impacting) public prosecutors or in the event 
of a lack of public prosecutors."  This feature allows 
motivated private-practice attorneys, who are usually 
compensated at higher rates and often better trained than 
public prosecutors, to take up TIP cases.  The results of 
this innovation are still flowing in, but, so far, IJM and 
other NGOs involved in private prosecutions appear to be 
highly effective. 
 
5.  (U) Anti-TIP NGOs also work hand-in-hand with local 
governments.  A leading example of close cooperation is in 
Davao City, Mindanao, where NGOs meet regularly with local 
officials.  With the help of local NGOs, Davao City recently 
passed the country's first municipal anti-TIP ordinance. 
NGOs have also been advising Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in 
his efforts to fight TIP by supplementing prosecutors' and 
judges' salaries, monitoring traffickers through the city's 
Task Force on Public Safety, and providing supplies, 
equipment and vehicles to anti-TIP groups.  The city also has 
excellent relations with the VFF, which operates a shelter at 
the Port of Davao (many victims of trafficking come from 
Mindanao, an impoverished region).  In another example of 
local governments working with NGOs, Quezon City Mayor 
Feliciano Belmonte, at the urging of local NGOs, recently 
signed an ordinance meant to curb violence against women and 
children.  The measure also created a municipal 
Anti-Prostitution Task Force composed of NGOs, the city's 
Department of Social Services and Development, and the 
Philippine National Police (PNP). 
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Investigation and Prosecution 
----------------------------- 
 
6.  (U) Key NGOs involved in TIP investigation and 
prosecution include: 
 
-- IJM (Philippines):  IJM employs lawyers, investigators, 
and social workers, and is focused on rescuing TIP victims 
and helping strengthen the GRP's prosecution efforts.  IJM 
investigates allegations of TIP, brings cases to court as a 
private prosecutor, and facilitates interagency 
communication.  IJM has conducted training for hundreds of 
law enforcement officials throughout the archipelago.  Since 
2001, IJM has coordinated with the GRP in an effort to 
increase the number of pro bono prosecutions under a variety 
of TIP-related statutes, including the Anti-Trafficking law. 
IJM gathers evidence against traffickers and shares this 
information with the National Bureau of Investigation and the 
PNP.  The police then use this information to obtain arrest 
warrants for traffickers, and IJM sometimes even accompanies 
the police on raids.  In late 2004, The USG funded a grant to 
IJM to accelerate TIP prosecutions.  IJM believes that its 
work will result in convictions under the 2003 
Anti-Trafficking law, but has realistic expectations given 
the notoriously slow Philippine justice system. 
 
-- Child Justice League (CJL):  CJL is a non-profit 
association of lawyers and paralegals working to litigate, 
educate, and advocate against TIP.  CJL provides free legal 
aid for trafficked children, and conducts community seminars 
to inform officials and the public about the Anti-Trafficking 
law.  Tapping the conscience of the legal profession, CJL 
nurtures relationships with law schools, law firms and 
individual practitioners, urging participation in the 
anti-TIP effort.  CJL is currently handling 10 TIP cases and 
has already provided legal services in over 1,000 cases.  CJL 
lawyers have conducted over 100 legal training seminars for 
social workers, teachers, local government officials, 
prosecutors, law enforcement officers, health workers and 
court personnel.  DSWD and corporate donors provide most of 
CJL's funding. 
 
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Protection and Assistance to Victims 
------------------------------------ 
 
7.  (U) Key NGOs involved in providing protection and 
assistance to victims include: 
 
-- VFF:  VFF assists nearly 3,000 TIP victims annually by 
rescuing women and children, documenting domestic and 
international cases of TIP, and collaborating with IJM on 
prosecutions.  At major ports, VFF has helped organize 
anti-trafficking task forces that include port officials, the 
police, the Coast Guard, shipping companies, the Department 
of Labor and Employment, DSWD and other NGOs.  More than half 
of the women and girls rescued by VFF had been promised jobs 
as entertainers in Japan, but were first obligated to undergo 
six months of "training" in Metro Manila nightclubs and 
brothels.  Boys are often rescued on their way to forced 
agricultural labor and cybersex dens.  VFF shelters victims 
and coordinates with DSWD to return them to their homes when 
appropriate.  VFF benefits from a USG USD 84,052 grant to its 
shelter program, and a USD 423,429 grant meant to intensify 
awareness about TIP and help develop a TIP prosecution 
handbook. 
 
-- The American Center for International Labor Solidarity 
(ACILS):  ACILS, in partnership with the Trade Union Congress 
of the Philippines (TUCP), has undertaken the "No to 
Trafficking Project."  Through this project, TUCP and ACILS, 
which is also known as the "Solidarity Center":  assist 
victims through a network of telephone hotlines; help train 
judges and prosecutors; host a Technical Working Group with 
15 GRP agencies; work on developing a TIP database; and run a 
TIP awareness campaign.  The project also provides 
gender-issue training to law enforcement officials to help 
improve anti-TIP prosecutions.  ACILS helped develop a 
standardized reporting format for TIP which PNP stations use 
nationwide.  In February 2003, ACILS received a two-year USD 
325,000 grant from the USG to promote TIP awareness and 
prosecution, and push implementation of anti-TIP legislation 
down to the neighborhood level. 
 
-- Development Action for Women Network (DAWN):  DAWN was 
founded in 1996 to assist Filipino women and their 
Japanese-Filipino children.  DAWN's program includes 
provision of social services and job training.  DAWN also 
works to reintegrate victims and mobilize public opinion. 
DAWN helps victims who are abroad to return to the 
Philippines, and then provides short-term shelter, 
counseling, legal assistance and medical care.  DAWN also 
operates a medium-term job training project in which victims 
are trained to sew, weave and operate computers.  The 
Japanese government has donated sewing machines to this 
program.  When its budget permits, DAWN is planning to open a 
larger shelter for its growing client base. 
 
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Prevention 
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8.  (U) Key NGOs involved in prevention include: 
 
--  The National Office of Mass Media (NOMM):  Under the 
leadership of  Father James Reuter, Jr., an Amcit who has 
been working in the Philippines since the 1930s, NOMM has 
been warning the public about traffickers through a daily 
radio drama on TIP carried on 48 stations throughout the 
country.  NOMM has also pioneered the use of television, 
newspapers and text messaging as ways to reach out to 
potential victims in rural areas.  NOMM and other Catholic 
Church entities, such as the influential Catholic Bishops 
Conference of the Philippines, are among the most steadfast 
supporters of TIP prevention efforts and use the Church's 
national reach to press their anti-TIP campaign.  In October 
2004, NOMM received a USG grant for USD 165,000 to fund one 
year of anti-TIP publicity. 
 
-- End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the 
Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT):  ECPAT 
works to raise general TIP awareness in the tourism and the 
travel industries, and within high-risk communities.  ECPAT 
is a member of the Special Committee for the Protection of 
Children, a group that meets under the auspices of the 
Department of Justice.  ECPAT works closely with local 
government units in major provinces and cities, other NGOs, 
and church-based  organizations.  In October 2004, ECPAT 
received a three-year grant from the USG of USD 78,000. 
 
-- Advancement of Workers' Awareness Regarding Employment 
(AWARE):  AWARE works with the private sector, including 
recruitment companies and other NGOs, to orient prospective 
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) )- a group known to be 
prone to traffickers -- to the realities of working abroad. 
AWARE conducts for the GRP mandatory two-day pre-departure 
orientations, which brief prospective workers on legal 
protection and worker rights issues, the management of 
contractual disputes, the handling of personal finances, and 
other issues.  GRP agencies concerned with overseas workers' 
welfare guide AWARE's curriculum.  Recruitment companies, 
other NGOs, and private contributions provide support to 
AWARE. 
 
-- The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women ) Asia Pacific 
(CATW-AP):  CATW-AP, a regional organization, brings together 
27 anti-TIP NGOs in a network to fight trafficking.  CATW-AP 
(Philippines) President Aurora Javate-De Dios seeks to curb 
trafficking by focusing the attention of political leaders, 
the media, and other components of civil society, on the 
problem.  CATW-AP was instrumental in the passage of the 
Anti-Trafficking law and advocates against prostitution, 
pornography and sex tourism.  CATW-AP provides preventive 
education programs on migration and TIP at the community 
level, and conducts dialogues with GRP agencies on preventive 
measures.  CATW-AP services include referring TIP cases to 
member and partner organizations for legal, counseling and 
support services.  In October 2004, CATW-AP received a 
three-year USG grant of USD 278,000. 
 
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Comment 
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9.  (U) Trafficking is a serious problem in the Philippines, 
a Tier Two Watch List country -- and the vibrant, innovative, 
and energetic NGO community has demonstrated unique abilities 
to combat it.  One of the keys to progress in fighting TIP in 
the Philippines is continued work by the NGO community to 
assist overburdened prosecutors, and augment protection and 
prevention programs, including through effective public 
outreach.  The USG has played a crucial role in upgrading NGO 
efforts by providing seed funding for important projects, 
including through the grant to IJM to accelerate prosecutions 
and the grant to VFF to assist its halfway houses.  Mission 
will continue to focus on helping to enhance the capacity of 
NGOs to face challenges in the TIP arena in a long-term, 
sustainable manner. 
MUSSOMELI