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| On the lookout for human trafficking (Photo: DMW) |
The Philippines has remained in Tier 1, the highest group of countries in the 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report issued by the US State Department, the country’s 11th consecutive year in this category.
“The Government of the Philippines fully meets the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking,” the report said.
The report cited government efforts that included enacting
legislation banning offshore gaming operations and prescribing criminal
liability for traffickers who recruit workers for such operations and
convicting a former mayor accused of trafficking in connection with a scam
center.
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| DETAILS HERE |
According to the report, the government assisted 1,546 identified trafficking victims in 2025, up from 816 in 2024. Key structural milestones cited include adopting a nationwide mandatory victim identification system, enhancing the National Referral Mechanism, creating a centralized interagency trafficking database, and implementing the October 2025 nationwide ban on offshore gaming operations to combat trafficking linked to online scam hubs.
Law enforcement bodies investigated 447 trafficking and online child sexual
exploitation cases, prosecuted 366 alleged traffickers, and secured 103
convictions.
But the report added: “Corruption and official complicity in
trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement
action during the year.”
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| Pindutin para sa detalye |
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) welcomed the release of the report, saying it is working alongside the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in repatriating at least 1,606 identified victims of illegal recruitment and trafficking, many of whom were rescued from forced labor in scam compounds in Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos.
Returning survivors received comprehensive DMW AKSYON Fund
assistance, including medical care, psychosocial support, legal aid, financial
assistance, and emergency shelter.
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| PINDUTIN ITO PARA SA DETALYE |
“The DMW, as an active member of the Inter-Agency Council
Against Trafficking (IACAT), considers this recognition a challenge to
intensify further our efforts against illegal recruiters and human traffickers
who exploit the vulnerabilities of our fellow Filipinos,” Migrant Workers
Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac said.
The department noted that the report identified critical
areas requiring stronger action across government, including reversing the
decline in trafficking convictions, building digital-forensics capacity to
combat online syndicates, screening foreign victims in scam compounds, and
bolstering protections for Filipino seafarers and commercial fishers vulnerable
to labor trafficking.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
“The DMW will translate these findings into intensified monitoring of deceptive online recruitment, strengthened evidence gathering for criminal prosecutions, and strict adherence to the non-punishment principle for victims. It will also expand nationwide information drives, including across social media, to help overseas Filipino workers recognize recruitment scams and report suspected traffickers,” Secretary Cacdac said.
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