Usec sought own relief from BI duties

This refers to the article titled “DOJ Usec relieved for aide’s link to trafficking” (Inquirer, 8/17/ 11), which gave the impression that Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar was relieved from his Bureau of Immigration (BI) duties for being involved in trafficking. This is far from the truth.

A day after the report came out, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima held a press conference to clarify that Undersecretary Salazar himself had requested, in a July 11, 2011 letter to her, that he be relieved from his BI duties so he could concentrate on his assignments in the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT). The incident reportedly involving his close-in security aide happened on August 1.

The report has tainted the reputation of Undersecretary Salazar. We find it unfair. This we say because when his aide was arrested in Zamboanga, we were in constant communication with the undersecretary and he made sure that we put his aide in jail.

We also want to point out that in the short period Salazar has been in charge of IACAT, the Philippine government, in cooperation with other agencies and NGOs, has made significant headway. For one, it has been removed from the watch list of the US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report, primarily because of IACAT’s success in prosecuting trafficking cases—28 convictions in just 14 months, compared to 25 convictions from 2003 up to June 2010. Also during his watch, the government instituted measures and policies that improved our institutional responses to human trafficking.

We know that trafficking syndicates are doing their best to undermine our war against human trafficking. De Lima even mentioned that it is possible that our ranks might have already been infiltrated. It is also common knowledge that the incident involving Salazar’s aide is not an isolated one and many public officials are in connivance with human trafficking syndicates.

Together with the IACAT, we will ensure the speedy resolution of this case involving Salazar’s aide, as well as other human trafficking cases involving public officials. This is a priority goal for us.

The fight to end human trafficking is an uphill battle. We have to surmount numerous challenges in order to sustain our initial victories. We recognize the vital role of media in this fight. And we hope that media will help us in protecting the reputation of the people and public servants who are genuinely working to end human trafficking in the country.

Undersecretary Salazar is one of the key people leading this fight, working with us side by side. He is a tested and dependable partner. It is our honor to work with him.

—CECILIA FLORES-OEBANDA, executive director, Visayan Forum Foundation Inc., US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report Hero 2008; DARLENE PAJARITO, public prosecutor, Zamboanga City, US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report Hero 2011