The Philippines is the only Asean member in the Tier 1 category of nations with significant efforts in the fight against human trafficking, based on the 2018 Trafficking-in-Persons Report of the United States Department of State. We have held this distinction since 2016, and much of the work has been shouldered by the member-agencies of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).
What is IACAT? It is the body mandated by law to coordinate and monitor the implementation of Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, with the Department of Justice as the lead agency and head of the Secretariat. Among the IACAT members are the Departments of Foreign Affairs, Labor and Employment, Interior and Local Government, and of course, the Department of Social Welfare and Development as cochairman of the Council. Under the law, three NGO representatives for the women, child and overseas Filipino workers sectors would have to pass through a rigorous nomination process prior to being appointed to sit in the Council. The Blas F. Ople Policy Center was recently reappointed as the NGO representative of the OFW Sector in IACAT.
During the time that then-Vice President Jejomar Binay was the presidential adviser on OFW affairs, his presence ensured a dynamic IACAT because of the latter’s knowledge of the law and long experience as a local executive. I also remember how proactive the IACAT was during the time of Undersecretary Ric Blancaflor.
Today, no less than Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra has made the fight against human trafficking his own personal cause. During the 42nd Council Meeting, it was the secretary who convened and presided over the exhaustive discussions, bumping to the top of the agenda his concern over media reports on human-trafficking syndicates operating within our international airports.
He ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to undertake a parallel investigation into reports about connivance between immigration and possibly airport personnel and human-trafficking syndicates. The Bureau of Immigration also has its own internal investigation in place. Team Philippines represented by IACAT will undoubtedly make significant inroads in the fight against trafficking with Justice Secretary Guevarra at its helm.
This week, representatives from the US State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) and the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery are in Manila to visit the Ople Center as well as other NGO partners. On Wednesday, they will meet with Justice Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-Villar to discuss our country’s fight against human trafficking.
Justice Undersecretary Aglipay-Villar, former congresswoman of the DIWA party-list, and wife of the hardworking Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, is doing an incredible job as the undersecretary in charge of IACAT. I have seen up close and personal her hands-on leadership style, shunning long meetings for sharp, clear actionable points arrived at by consensus. I deeply appreciate her instructions to the IACAT Secretariat to make sure that all referrals of cases involving overseas Filipino workers are acted upon and duly acknowledged. I have known her for quite some time and I know that her heart is in the right place. The DOJ is fortunate indeed to have her on board.
Assistant Secretary George Ortha is the undersecretary’s wingman, and his knowledge of the law and inner workings of the criminal justice system has served IACAT well. When there is a legal conundrum, Ortha’s sobering voice places everyone on chill mode, knowing that the anti-trafficking law and the Constitution are always there to be our guide. He is purpose-driven and quite an effective problem-solver, and always a patient listener.
Executive Director Rudiger Falcis III, a former judge and deputy ombudsman, keeps the IACAT Secretariat on its toes, while monitoring the work of different task forces including the OFW Task Force and a reactivated Naia Task Force. In a recent workshop, Rocky (his nickname) Falcis underscored the need for IACAT member-agencies to get its act together, to work as a team, because the enemy—namely, human traffickers and their corrupt minions—are as brazen as ever in the pursuit of evil. Despite his formidable credentials, the executive director has an easy air around him, a ready smile and off-the-cuff eloquence that makes him instantly likable.
IACAT Deputy Director Atty. Yvette Coronel is as efficient as ever, willing to work with multi-stakeholders to ensure that the IACAT is able to carry out its national strategic plan with broad-based support. Her operational and institutional knowledge of IACAT is deep, thus we often turn to her as the human memory bank of the Council. Soft-spoken and detail-oriented, Atty. Yvette’s dedication to the anti-trafficking cause defies description.
As an interagency council, the IACAT may have its limitations but compassion, commitment and courage are not part of it. Today’s IACAT has what it takes to lead a formidable battle against modern-day slavery.