RP, US ink 3-yr anti-human trafficking pact

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine and United States governments signed Thursday a letter of agreement (LOA) for a three-year joint project that will see the Americans actively participating in the government’s campaign to prosecute cases of human trafficking.

The LOA was signed by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr. during the meeting of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) at the Department of Justice yesterday.

Under the agreement, the US government will assign a federal prosecutor as intermittent legal adviser (ILA), and a victim-witness coordinator to work with Philippine authorities on anti-trafficking initiatives.

The ILA, according to the IACAT, will train and mentor local prosecutors on effectively increasing the number and quality of cases they file and decrease the time for bringing a case to trial.

“The ILA will work with prosecutors to formulate best practices, which would serve as an outline for the kinds of evidence prosecutors require to support human trafficking charges and for trial procedures for efficient processing of trafficking case,” the IACAT said.

At the signing, Thomas said the two governments “share a strong and mutual commitment to protect and promote respect for human rights” and to “combat the gross injustice that is human trafficking.”

The program will receive US$500,000 from the US government.