Hontiveros adds POGOs, PAGCOR, ISPs in new bill in a bid to end sex trafficking

Senator Risa Hontiveros has filed a bill that would monitor activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) and other gaming and amusement venues in a bid to end sex trafficking.

The senator's Senate Bill No. 1929 includes responsibilities for the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to address policy gaps in the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003. The proposed update comes after the senator led a series of committee investigations that revealed how Chinese women were trafficked into the Philippines to service Chinese POGO employees.

"Halos isang taon namin inimbistigahan ang mga korap sa Bureau of Immigration (BI) na naging daan sa pagtatraffick ng napakaraming babae sa ating bansa. The rise of POGOs has also been found to increase the vulnerability to trafficking and prostitution of our own women, our own girls," the senator said.

Hontiveros also highlighted that the bill explicitly prohibits convicted alien sex offenders from entering the country, adding that the Department of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the BI and the Department of Justice, must ensure that these sex offenders should not be able to step foot in the Philippines.

Hontiveros, who filed the bill in time for the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women (VAW), says SB No. 1929 is proof that legislation must be updated to fit the times.

Among the new features of SB No. 1929 includes the recognition of the use of online and digital platforms for human trafficking. That being the case, the bill imposes penalties on private facilities, such as internet service providers, financial intermediaries, transport services including their online applications, that knowingly allow the use of their facilities, whether digital or physical, for purposes of trafficking.

"Hindi pwedeng hands off ang mga tech giants sa isyung ito. Their platforms have made it easier and faster for many abusers to violate our women and children. It is high time that they be made accountable for their products, and for them to also help secure a measure of justice for victim-survivors," the senator said.

SB No. 1929 also expands the definition of trafficking in persons to include the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC). Hontiveros said the filing of this bill has never been more relevant, amid recent reports dubbing the Philippines as the global hotspot of OSEC.

"New technologies show no signs of slowing down, but these are now used to harass, exploit, and abuse our women in a myriad of pernicious ways. Ngayon pang may COVID-19, kung kailan palaging online ang mga tao, mas bumigat ang karahasang dinadanas ng ating kababaihan at kabataan," the senator said.

"Ngayong International Day for the Elimination of VAW, isaalang-alang natin ang karapatan ng bawat babae at maging parte tayo sa pagpapagaan ng anumang pinapasan ng ating kababaihan," she concluded.