The number of victims of human trafficking in Western Visayas was reduced by 51 percent this year, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

For 2012, only the provinces of Iloilo and Aklan have cases of trafficking in person which reached to 24, or more than one half of last year’s recorded cases of 50.

Iloilo has a total of 15 cases while Aklan has nine.

Since the first recorded cases in 2004, the region has now a total of 166 human trafficking cases. Of which, Iloilo province has the highest number of victims with 91; followed by Negros Occidental with 49, Antique, 23; Aklan, 21 and Capiz with six.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has assured the continued monitoring and campaign against illegal recruitment agencies and persons in the region.

Rhea Glynda Calanta, officer-in-charge of POEA6 recognized that “an informed populace will help deter the cases of human trafficking.”

Calanta, in a press conference sponsored by the Department of Labor and Employment said that a series of anti-illegal recruitment and trafficking in persons campaign seminar are already conducted in some parts of the region like in Passi City.

Recently, she added that as part of the illegal Recruitment-Free campaign among the local government units in WV, a memorandum of understanding between them and the city government of Passi was signed.

In the national level, the Senate has ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the Senate Bill No. 2625 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking Act, a measure eyed to protect Filipinos from trafficking also considered as the ‘modern day slavery.’

In a statement, Sen. Loren Legarda, sponsor of the bill and also the Chair of the Sub-Committee on Anti-Trafficking said that “in the proposed amended version of the law, even acts that shall constitute attempted trafficking in persons will be punishable. Accomplices and accessories to the crime will also be meted their due penalties."

Tomorrow, December 12 is the International Day Against Trafficking.*