Another crazy idea from the Philippine government

Thank God that the Department of Justice (DOJ) postponed the implementation of the new Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking’s (Iacat) travel requirements for Filipinos going abroad. One of the prominent persons who commented on this was the former Bureau of Immigration (BI) director and now Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez who stated that “the decision of Iacat to impose additional and stricter rules on Filipino travelers is both unreasonable and intrusive.”

He also added: “They will give Filipino tourists, overseas Filipino workers, and other travelers a lot of inconveniences, and they could make them vulnerable to harassment and extortion by corrupt immigration officers and other airport personnel.“

The Iacat stated that they upgraded the guidelines to fight human trafficking.

It took the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Passenger Forum, and the Senate to convince the DOJ to postpone implementation of these travel rules.

To start with, whose idea was it to have new rules and regulations regarding Filipinos traveling abroad just to prevent trafficking when we have enough laws and regulations regarding Filipinos traveling abroad? A passport is not a right but a privilege and before one gets a passport, he/she is already scrutinized with proper documents. Another hurdle is getting a visa from most countries where more documents and information are needed, too. It will be a different story with non-visa countries.

Instead of making things complicated, why don’t we just go for the basics: tougher implementation of our laws with tough punishment on illegal recruiters, unscrupulous travel and employment agents. Government employees like those in the BI who deal with travelers with jail terms as well as human trafficking syndicates should be subjected to the loss of their pension and other benefits. In addition, educate our people including our children on how to avoid fraud by just being honest and being careful in trusting others.

IDA M. TIONGCO
Malate, Manila
[email protected]