The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said eliminating human trafficking and illegal recruitment in the country requires a whole-of government approach.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that while the BI can intercept victims at the ports, resolving trafficking should start at the root of the problem.
“Trafficking is not solely the burden of the BI, as we are only able to intercept victims when we encounter them in formal ports but trafficking happens everywhere. In the barangays, in cities, and now even online,” Tansingco noted.
He added that the BI is but one agency under the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking tasked to address the different aspects of human trafficking and illegal recruitment.
Moreover, Tansingco responded to the recent statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros, suggesting that the BI undergo an overhaul following reports of human trafficking.
“We respect the opinion of the good senator, but the BI has stepped up its efforts to combat this societal ill. In fact, we have recently implemented a major organizational overhaul following the deactivation of the BI’s port operations division,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tansingco expressed support to Representative Camille Villar’s recommendation to conduct a legislative inquiry on illegal overseas job offers that shuttle Filipinos to work for companies that operate online scams.
“I hope congress and senate look into this problem, particularly this recent trend of recruiting professionals who end up being subjected to corporal punishment by their recruiters. This is a personal mission for me, to put into light the evils of trafficking, and allow all government agencies to address this serious problem,” he stated.
