LABOR Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Wednesday welcomed the United States’ 2011 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report in upgrading the Philippines from the Tier 2 Special Watch list to Tier 2 rating.

At the same time, a nongovernmental organization urged the government to work “even harder” in fighting human trafficking since syndicates engaged in the crime are still present and for the country to attain Tier 1 level.

Based on the US government’s tier system, countries and territories, whose governments fully comply with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, are categorized as Tier 1, while those countries and territories where governments do not fully comply with the act’s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards are at Tier 2.

Those in the Tier 2 Special Watch list are countries and territories that have an absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking that is increasing significantly. These are countries that failed to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons in the previous year.

Countries on the Tier 2 Special Watch list are required to make significant efforts to combat human trafficking.

Countries included on that list are at risk of an automatic downgrade to Tier 3 and are in danger of losing the US government assistance.

“We are happy to note that the US State Department has removed the Philippines from Tier 2 Special Watch list and reassessed and upgraded it to Tier 2 in its 2011 TIP Report. This is, without a doubt, a recognition of the concerted efforts through partnership and cooperation of the public and private sectors [in] eliminating the scourge of human trafficking in the country” Baldoz said.

Owing to the upgrade, Baldoz said the labor department was challenged to intensify preventive programs and activities as its contribution to the national effort to fight against human trafficking among Filipinos and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

She said the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) will continue to forge alliances with local government and private-sector organizations in its anti-illegal recruitment campaign.

Recently, Baldoz said, the POEA intensified its anti-illegal recruitment campaign through cooperative alliances with local governments and private organizations.              

POEA also provides the migrant workers with orientation seminars and capacity bulding programs, including regular and timely update on licensed recruitment agencies and the establishments of help desks in local governments.

Meanwhile, Blas F. Ople Labor Center president Susan Ople urged President Aquino to certify as urgent the amendments to the Antitrafficking Act 2003 and the Kasambahay Law, which would lead to the greater protection of Filipino workers abroad and domestic help in the country.

The Philippines was at the forefront of the adoption of the new International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention on Domestic Workers, which when ratified by member-countries shall lead to greater protection of the rights of household service workers.

“The upgrading of the Philippines from Tier 2 Watch list to Tier 2, combined with the recent adoption of the ILO Convention on Domestic Workers show that we are capable of providing leadership and inspiration to other countries on how the fight against forced labor trafficking and labor exploitation can and should be waged,” Ople said.

The government should be inspired to aim for a Tier 1 ranking by trying to obtain more convictions and screening the local recruitment process.

Ople noted that the Aquino administration has shown remarkable political will in the fight against trafficking, in partnership with civil-society groups.

“The role of civil-society groups including media establishments in the fight against trafficking should also be recognized” Ople added.

The former labor undersecretary cited that from 2003, the Ople Center was able to obtain 47 convictions for human trafficking from the courts.

She then assured the public that the center will work closely with the government in the fight against human trafficking.