Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco on Wednesday hailed the combined efforts of government agencies against trafficking.
In a message, Tansingco commended members of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) after the country maintained its Tier 1 ranking for the 9th consecutive year in the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report.
For the 9th straight year, the Philippines has retained the prestigious ranking, signifying that the country fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.
The BI, as an integral member of the IACAT, said that it will remain relentless in the campaign against human trafficking.
In the said report, the US Department of State highlighted how traffickers use technology to facilitate trafficking of their victims.
It can be recalled that the BI raised the alarm against syndicates recruiting professionals who end up working as love scammers in crypto scam hubs abroad.
Tansingco underscored the important role that the BI performs in the fight against trafficking as immigration officers constitute the last line of defense in preventing the departure of trafficking victims at the ports of exit.
“We are winning against trafficking,” said Tansingco. “But the battle never stops. These human traffickers remain persistent in recruiting victims, but we will never stop doing our sworn duty to protect the Filipino people from this societal evil,” he stated.
