MANILA AIRPORT OPENS NEW SHELTER FOR TRAFFICKING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 002324 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR G/TIP, EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP, INL, DRL LABOR FOR ILAB JUSTICE FOR CRIMINAL DIVISION, OPDAT STATE PASS TO USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KCRM KWMN EAID RP SUBJECT: MANILA AIRPORT OPENS NEW SHELTER FOR TRAFFICKING VICTIMS REF: A. MANILA 0951 (STRENGTHENING PARTNERSHIPS) ¶B. MANILA 0333 (ANTI-TRAFFICKING EFFORTS IN MINDANAO) ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Anti-trafficking efforts at the country's foremost international airport took a step forward with the October 7 inauguration of the Manila International Airport Authority's first halfway house for victims of human trafficking. The Ambassador, in her keynote address at the event, joined Philippine officials and NGOs in praising the opening of the halfway house as another advancement in the fight against trafficking, and she expressed the continued support of the U.S. government in anti-trafficking efforts in the Philippines. The NGO Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF) will manage the facility with the support of U.S. government funds, providing more outreach, services, and protection to victims who are intercepted and rescued at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This public-private anti-trafficking partnership replicates a successful formula that the VFF has employed at eight port facilities across the country. This latest halfway house project demonstrates the government's ongoing commitment to fight trafficking in persons. While challenges remain, increasing official awareness of the trafficking problem is leading government agencies like the Manila International Airport Authority and the Department of Justice to become more aggressive in combating TIP. END SUMMARY. A STRONGER PARTNERSHIP LANDS AT MANILA'S AIRPORT -------------- --- ¶2. (SBU) Seventeen months after groundbreaking, on October 7 the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA),in cooperation with anti-trafficking NGO Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF),inaugurated the first halfway house for victims of human trafficking at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The VFF, with support of U.S. government funds, will manage the facility, providing more outreach, services, and protection to victims intercepted at the airport. The new structure has dormitory capacity for 20 persons and will serve as a processing center and temporary shelter for victims and potential victims of human trafficking who are rescued at the airport. After short stays at the facility, victims will be transferred to VFF's primary safehouse, which is being enlarged to accommodate the growing need for safe spaces for trafficking victims. While the new airport shelter did not officially open until this week, the airport's Task Force Against TIP has already been coordinating with VFF and other NGOs since early 2007 on the rescue and protection of victims. This year alone, 70 trafficking victims were rescued in anti-trafficking operations at the airport and referred to the VFF for support services. ¶3. (SBU) The new halfway house replicates a successful partnership model already in place in ports across the country: at Manila's North and South Harbors; in Batangas and Sorsogon in southern Luzon; in Iloilo in western Visayas; and in Mindanao in the cities of Davao, Surigao, and Zamboanga. The halfway house at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is the first shelter for trafficking victims at an airport in the Philippines, and is believed to be the first dedicated trafficking shelter at any airport in the Asian region. Looking toward the future, the VFF is developing plans for new halfway houses at the airports in the city of Angeles (Clark),north of Manila, and in the city of Zamboanga in Mindanao. ¶4. (SBU) In her keynote address, the Ambassador praised the opening of the halfway house as an important event in the ongoing fight against human trafficking. She called attention in particular to the relentless dedication of VFF's Executive Director, Cecile Flores Oebanda, who has inspired all of VFF's partners in the anti-trafficking community. The Ambassador also lauded the hard work and contributions of the Manila Airport Authority under the direction of General Manager Alfonso Cusi, whose office funded the construction of the halfway house. She went on to note that the Airport Authority and the airport's Task Force Against TIP, through their partnerships with other government agencies and NGOs, are at the forefront of the fight against trafficking and are making important strides in rescuing victims. The Ambassador underscored the importance of prosecutions as an essential component of anti-trafficking efforts and expressed the hope MANILA 00002324 002 OF 002 that there will be more successful prosecutions in the future. AIRPORT AUTHORITIES ALERT TO TRAFFICKING -------------- ¶5. (SBU) VFF has been working closely with the staff at the Manila airport to train them on anti-trafficking approaches. Through this training as well as U.S. government material support, the airport's Task Force Against TIP has become more efficient at sharing information and resources between members since its inception in February 2007. Their efforts have achieved some success. In September, authorities rescued at Ninoy Aquino International Airport 17 minors who were bound for the Middle East and arrested an immigration employee as a trafficking suspect. Concern for victims remains paramount for authorities. Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan noted that 161 trafficking victims were rescued at Ninoy Aquino International Airport between May and August, his first four months in office. However, while authorities have made headway in rescuing victims, there remain tough challenges in turning trafficking arrests into convictions. The Bureau of Immigration employee arrested for suspected involvement in the trafficking of 17 minors was eventually released from police custody, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) official, because the airport's Task Force acted prematurely and did not acquire enough evidence before the arrest. Lack of evidence is still a common reason for the failure to prosecute traffickers in court. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE EXPANDS ANTI-TIP WORK -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Despite ongoing challenges, the government as a whole is increasingly committed to anti-trafficking efforts. The DOJ has stepped up its anti-trafficking efforts by increasing the number of prosecutors dedicated to anti-TIP from 17 to 20 at the national level, with 95 additional prosecutors at regional, provincial, and municipal levels. The DOJ has filed in court or gone to trial on 40 new cases this year, while it has more than doubled the total number of trafficking cases under investigation, from 123 to 305 as of September. The DOJ, as chair of the Interagency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT),is expanding outreach and education efforts to seaport and airport immigration and police officers at venues around the country. It is also developing standard operating procedures for anti-trafficking task forces at ports of entry. A DOJ official noted that Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor was working hard to get a budget allocation for IACAT in the next fiscal year. A regular budget stream would permit IACAT to undertake more anti-TIP initiatives and more effectively fulfill its mandate as a the government's principal anti-trafficking coordinating body. KENNEY