MANILA, Philippines ? Saranggani Representative Manny Pacquiao is batting for funds for a government inter-agency fighting human trafficking.
Appealing to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and Cavite Representative Joseph Emilio Abaya, the chairman of the appropriations committee in the House of Representatives, Pacquiao asked for allocation for the Inter Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) in the proposed 2011 budget.
The IACAT, which was created after the passage of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, has a zero-budget.
?Kung walang budget, paano nila mapapaigting ang kanilang trabaho laban sa mga makapangyarihan at mayayaman na human trafficking syndicates? [If it has no budget, how can the agency intensify its work against the more powerful and well-heeled human trafficking syndicates?],? he said in a privilege speech late Wednesday.
The boxing champion-turned-politician also sought amendments to the law by pushing for the public disclosure of the identity of the suspected trafficker, which was prohibited by law.
Section 7 of the law gives equal right to privacy of the victims and the traffickers.
?This is so unfair,? he said. ?It?s alright if we don?t divulge the real name of the victims, but not of the traffickers. How can our countrymen know who to avoid if the traffickers are protected by law??
Pacquiao also pushed for a higher conviction rate of traffickers, citing that since the measure was enacted in 2003, only 18 cases have reached the conviction stage. To date, about 800 trafficking cases are also under investigation.
Quoting the 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report of the US State Department, Pacquiao said the Philippines was once against in Tier 2 Watch List, the second time since 2009. He said that the country could go down to Tier 3 in 2011 if the government did not intensify its fight against trafficking. He said this could mean less foreign aid to the Philippines.
