The United States on Monday again placed the Philippines at Tier 2 on its three-tier ranking system, which means Manila is yet to fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in person (TIP).
US Secretary of State John Kerry released the 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report.
The TIP report provides the most comprehensive information on government efforts around the world to combat modern slavery.
The country got the same grade of Tier 2 in 2014.
According to TIP, the Philippines is a source country and, to a much lesser extent, a destination and transit country for men, women and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor.
The State Department determined that the Philippines made significant efforts to combat human trafficking. The report, however, urged Manila to increase its efforts to hold government officials administratively and criminally accountable for trafficking and trafficking-related offenses through criminal prosecutions, convictions and stringent sentences.
According to Kerry, the US government recognized the efforts of the Philippine government to bring justice to victims and expedite prosecutions. During the reporting period, the country convicted 54 traffickers, an increase from 31 the previous year.
The report also notes the strong efforts to provide antitrafficking training to local authorities, with a particular focus on disaster-stricken regions.
“We recognize the government of the Philippines’s progress on trafficking in persons, and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation to tackle this regional and global issue. As part of our global efforts to combat human trafficking, the US government is committed to working with the government of the Philippines to prevent trafficking activities, to prosecute perpetrators, and to protect victims,“ the report added.