Press Release
January 25, 2023

CLOSING STATEMENT OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS DURING THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING HEARING
Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality
January 25, 2023

It has been two hearings and what we have found out is staggering. Hindi isolated case ang pambiktima ng mga Pilipino para gawing cryptocurrency scammer.

As I have mentioned in previous statements, this seems to be an industrial complex that involves various actors -- mula sa mga illegal recruiter o agent dito sa Pilipinas, mga koneksyon nila sa immigration, at network nila sa iba't ibang bansa sa Southeast Asia. Kumpirmado ito ng mismong embassies natin sa Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia.

Sa mga illegal recruiters, public officials, at sindikato na napapatunayang nananraffick ng Pilipino: tandaan ninyo na itong ginagawa ninyo ay krimen. Under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, you may suffer a penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of not less than Two million pesos (P2,000,000.00) but not more than Five million pesos (P5,000,000.00).

I would also like to call on all government agencies with a stake in this issue to work hand in hand to ensure that our kababayans who are still in Cambodia are immediately rescued and repatriated, tulad ng tinatrabaho ng ating embahada sa Phnom Penh. I-rescue narin ang mga kababayan natin sa iba't ibang bansa pa sa Asia.

Gusto ko pong magpasalamat sa ating mga witnesses, Ron, Miles, Brando-- kayong buong tapang na nagsiwalat ng mga proseso ng trafficking na makakatulong sa ating imbestigasyon. Our committee will not stop until every Filipino victim of human trafficking is given the justice you deserve, they deserve.

A last word po sa ating mga kababayan: If anyone, whether sa mga ahensya natin or saanpaman, if anyone has information to share about these scam operations, particularly corruption on our borders, BI man yan, coastguard man yan, iba pang mga ahensya, please come out. May collective responsibility po tayo na wakasan ang kanser na ito.

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