PH maintains Tier 1 status in US trafficking report
By Jun Ramirez and Jun Ramirez
The United States government has once again recognized the Philippines for its unwavering commitment to combatting trafficking, Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco announced on Saturday, June 17.
The BI chief said the country has retained its Tier 1 status for the eighth consecutive year in the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report released by the US State Department, highlighting the government's sustained efforts in addressing human trafficking.
As an active member of the Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT), led by the Department of Justice (DOJ), the BI has played a crucial role in strengthening initiatives to protect overseas Filipinos from the dangers of human trafficking and labor exploitation abroad.
Tansingco explained that the Tier 1 ranking, the highest classification granted by the US State Department, signifies that a country fully complies with the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and actively works to combat the issue.
In recent years, the BI has intensified its collaboration with relevant agencies and international partners to combat trafficking.
Through the IACAT, the bureau closely collaborates with law enforcement agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to develop and implement anti-trafficking strategies.
Recently, the BI was the first to expose a human trafficking scheme that targeted Filipinos, luring them to work in pseudo-call centers abroad only to become victims of crypto and love scam rings.
Alongside the Philippines, Australia, Canada, France, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States have also been designated as Tier 1 countries in the report.