INTER-AGENCY COUNCIL AGAINST TRAFFICKING

43rd Inter-Agency Regular Council Meeting

19 September 2018, Room 6, Philippine International Convention Center
Pasay City

MINUTES OF THE MEETING

I. Call To Order

1.1 The 43rd Council Meeting was called in session at 1:50 p.m.

II. Introduction and Opening Remarks

2.1 In behalf of the Chairman of the IACAT, Secretary Menardo I.

Guevarra, the meeting was presided by Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay-
Villar (Usec. Villar), Undersecretary-In-Charge of IACAT,

2.2 Upon the request of the chair, the IACAT member-agency

representatives introduced themselves for purposes of attendance and quorum.

List of Attendees
Department/Agency Name
Undersecretary Emmeline
Aglipay-Villar
Assistant Secretary George O.
Department of Justice
Ortha, II
OIC Exec. Dir. Ma. Yvette T.
Coronel
Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine Charge d’ Affaires, Consul
Embassy in Damascus, Syria General Alex V. Lamadrid
PCS William S. Macavinta
Philippine National Police – Women and
PSupt Henry Ubay
Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC)
PSInsp Bryan Baccay
Philippine Overseas Employment Atty. Rj Cantos
Administration (POEA) Rudiger Falcis II

Commission on Filipino Overseas (CFO) Secretary Francisco Acosta

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 Undersecretary Astravel Pimental-
Naik
Director Ivy Miravailles
Patricia Courtney Batac
January Sanchez
Assistant SecretaryAtty. Lovely
Department of Labor and Employment Aissa Velayo
(DOLE)
Atty. John Vincent Ferrer
Executive Director Emmeline
Philippine Commission on Women Versoza
(PCW)
Mildred Corral
Department of Foreign Affairs, Office of Atty. Angelica S. Navarete
Migrant Workers Affairs (DFA)
Timmy Barizo
Bureau of Immigration (BI)
Jennifer R. Angeles
NBI - Anti-Human Trafficking Division Hazel P. Roxas
(AHTraD)
Philippine Center on Transnational Crime
PSupt Jennifer Belmonte
(PCTC)
Department of Interior and Local
Lymuel Magsino
Government (DILG)
Susan Ople
Blas Ople Center
Jerome Alcantara
Atty. Mary Grace Quintana
Atty. Nancy Lozano
Atty. Julius A. Barcinas
Desiree Ann Sumalinog
Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, Stephen Fantonalgo
Secretariat Glenda Melodillar
Esmeiralda Santos
Norben Sagun
Jesus Carlos Felipe
Sid Salazar

2.3 The chairUsec. Villar formally welcomed all the participants in

the Rregular cCouncil Mmeeting and delivered her opening remarks which
highlighted the intensified efforts and collaboration of all member-agencies. The
chair acknowledged and thanked the cooperation of all the IACAT members,
which according to her was very instrumental in the realization of the Ccouncil’s
vision of combating human trafficking.

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III. Review and Approval of the Minutes of the 42nd Regular Council Meeting

3.1 Usec. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar (Usec. Villar) requested the body

to review the minutes of the 42nd RCM, held on 29 June 2018, and to point out
any corrections on the said minutes.

3.2 Usec. Astravel Pimentel-Naik (Usec. Naik) of CFO requested to

rectify page 3, paragraph 6 of the Minutes, regarding the proposed relaunching
of 1343 Actionline in time for the WDAT celebration. According to her, since the
relaunching of the Actionline did not materialize, she suggested that it be
pushed thruscheduled in December 2018.

3.3 Exec. Dir. Emmeline Versoza (ED Versoza) of PCW, pointed out
minor corrections in the minutes, to wit:

a) In Page 6, Paragraph 9 – to change the word “presently” to “formerly”

in the phrase ‘...signified PCW’s support for CATWAP presently
headed by Professor Aurora De Dios...’

b) In Page 7, Paragraph 5 – to change the acronym “CWC” to “council”

in the phrase ‘...asked the CWC for comment as oversight committe
for children.’

c) In Page 8, Paragraph 2 – to change the words “location services” to

read as “cellular or internet data” in the phrase ‘...using an android
phone and the location services must be turned on.’

3.4 The BI representative, Timmy Barizo manifested to have her name

and the BI Deputy Head of Operations’ name included in the list of attendees
as representatives of the BI in the 42nd RCM.

3.5 After all the corrections were duly noted, the minutes of the 42 nd
RCM was approved upon the motion of PCW ED Versoza and WCPC Director
PCS William Macavinta (PCS Macavinta).

I. Review and Approval of the 43rd Regular Council Meeting Agenda

4.1 Usec. Villar requested the body to review the agenda for the 43 rd
RCM. There being no objections from the body on the said agenda, WCPC
Director PCS Macavinta moved for its approval and was seconded by the BI
representative.

II. Presentation and Approval of Council Resolutions

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A) IACAT Guidelines on Departure Formalities for International Bound
Passengers

A.1 Usec. Villar presented the IACAT Guidelines on Departure

Formalities for International Bound Passengers which have already undergone
two revisions in 2015 and in 2017.

A.2 During the 40th RCM, the chair stipulated stated that the Council has
agreed that the approval of the Revised Guidelines shall be made ad
referendum upon incorporation of the additional recommendations and inputs
made by the Council.

A.3 On February 2018, the final version of the Revised Guidelines

including the corresponding resolution was disseminated to all Council
members for approval. However, the chair noted that only the Commission on
Filipinos Overseas (CFO) returned a signed copy of the Resolution adopting the
Revised Guidelines and most of the member-agencies only relayed to IACAT
Secretariat their intention to sign on one original copy.

A.4 With the difficulty in completing the signatures and changes in the
names of the signatories, the final approval and implementation of the subject
Resolution has beenwas greatly affected.

A.5 Usec. Villar discussed two points: First on the recommendation of

DOJ-Legal to update the title of the Resolution from 2017 IACAT Revised
Guidelines on Departure Formalities for International-Bound Passengers to
“2018 Revised Guidelines on Departure Formalities for International-Bound
Passengers” to reconcile said Guidelines on the year of final approval and
implementation.

A.6 The recommendation to amend the title was approved by the Council
upon motion of BI and seconded by both PNP and DFA.

A.7 On the Second Point of Discussion, Usec. Villar mentioned the

issue of the delay in completing the IACAT member agencies’ signatures. She
added that the Council needs to discuss possible solutions to expedite the
completion of signatures.

A.8 One of the recommendations raised by the chair is for the Secretary
of Justice (SOJ) to sign the Resolution at the outset, as the initial signatory.
Then the advance copy of the said resolution will then be disseminated to all
member agencies for review and consideration of their respective Secretaries
and Heads. Thereafter, the original copy will be endorsed to the member-
agency and they will be given 10 working days to return the Resolution to the
IACAT Secretariat if signed. If not signed, return the unsigned Resolution with
corresponding letter indicating the reason for not signing.

A.9 A Cclarification as to whether each member agencies will receive its

own copy, as opposed to routing only the original copy signed by the SOJ was

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raised. Usec. Villar clarified that only the original copy bearing the SOJ’s
signature will be routed to all the agencies.

A.10 It was suggested that in order to expedite the process, one

signature page may be sent to each member-agencies and the IACAT
Secretariat will just collate all the signature pages and have the signatures
scanned and copied on a single signature page document. The chair opposed
the suggestion on the ground that the scanning and copying of the signatures
of the heads of agencies will compromise the authenticity of the signatures.

A.11 It was also raised that in order to avoid the cumbersome procedure
on the signing, a copy of the resolution should just be sent to each member-
agencies and the final copy will just be signed together in the next council
meeting by all the heads of agencies. However, Asec. Ortha pointed out that
not all heads of agencies are present in the meetings, and therefore the latest
suggestion is not feasible. In the meantime, what he intends to support is the
previous recommendation which is to send each member-agency with a
separate signature page and the IACAT Secretariat will just collate the signature
pages.

A.12 The final recommendation was approved by the chair upon the
motion of PCTC and seconded by the PNP.

B) Resolution Authorizing the Secretary of DOJ as Chairperson of the

IACAT to sign Memorandum of Understanding for the Information
Caravan on Anti-Trafficking in Persons or #WeToo Campaign

B.1 Usec. Villar discussed that the Information Caravan on Anti-

Trafficking in Persons was conceptualized by the BI to help alleviate and
address the increasing number of victims of trafficking, particularly women and
children. She said that the information caravan will popularize the mechanism
of “Women Empowerment to address Trafficking of Women Overseas” or
#WeToo Campaign to address the adverse effects of trafficking and the ways to
confront the same.

B.2 It was noted that the BI has already set aside funds in order to realize
and implement the information caravan by 2018. The Memorandum of
Understanding between the IACAT member agencies to embark on the program
was adopted and approved by IACAT during its RCM on 6 April 2018. With this,
the Resolution Authorizing the Secretary of Justice as Chairperson of the IACAT
to sign the Memorandum of Understanding for the #WeToo Campaign was duly
approved.

B.3 Further, the chair discussed that the Resolution was already signed
by the CFO and the DOLE. However, when it was endorsed for BI’s signature,
the same was returned to IACAT Secretariat unsigned with a verbal advice that
BI is no longer interested to implement the said program as lead agency.

B.4 The chair asked for the BI’s explanation on the sudden change of
heart to lead the #WeToo Campaign. BI responded that they cannot lead the

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#WeToo Campaign because of the sudden resignation of their former Associate
Commissioner, Commissioner Neri, who was the proponent of the said
campaign. But since the budget had already been earmarked, they are willing
to support the said campaign however they cannot spearhead its
implementation.

B.5 It was suggested that with IACAT’s help, the DSWD as the co-chair
of IACAT can lead the #WeToo Campaign, considering that former
Commissioner Neri is already connected with the DSWD.

B.6 Usec. Villar manifested that the IACAT Secretariat will secure the
commitment of the DSWD in the implementation of the #WeToo Campaign.
However, since the budget will come from the BI, the latter would still be the
lead agency on paper, but the IACAT and the DSWD will do the leg work.

B.7 In connection with the agenda to amend the corresponding

Resolution for the #WeToo Campaign, Usec. Villar raised that there is a
recommendation from the DOJ-Legal regarding the issuance of IACAT
Resolutions. She averred that resolutions authorizing the Secretary of Justice
as Chairperson of the IACAT to sign Agreements on behalf of the Council should
only be done on International Agreements involving foreign countries or
international organizations.

B.8 With respect to local agreements like MOAs or MOUs, it was

suggested that the SOJ need not sign or need not be authorized by the council
to sign, but instead he may delegate said task to another officer of the IACAT.

B.9 Secretary Acosta suggested that the SOJ as chair of the IACAT has
the prerogative to delegate the signing of local agreements to the
Undersecretary-In-Charge of the IACAT. Additionally, the Secretary of DSWD as
co-chair of the IACAT may also be chosen by the council for the same purpose.
However, one council member pointed out that since the current Secretary of
the DSWD is only acting in an OIC capacity, and thus temporary, it would be
best that the signing of the local agreements should be delegated to the
Undersecretary-In-Charge of the IACAT.

B.10 It was raised that before the recommendation of DOJ-Legal may be

approved by the council, a resolution should first be drafted and presented to
the council during the next RCM. This is to avoid repeating the incident that
happened before in the case of the Wall City Entertainment.

C) Approval or Adoption of the Memorandum of Agreement for the

SAFE Seas Project

C.1 The third resolution presented by Usec. Villar is the Resolution to

Approve and Adopt the Memorandum of Agreement for the SAFE Seas Project.
Said MOA was approved and adopted by the Council during the previous RCM.
As presented, the SAFE Seas Project is intended to strengthen regulations and
policies to address labor exploitation on fishing vessels. The project is funded
by the United States Department of Labor and will run until November 30, 2021.

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This will be implemented by Plan International, a development and humanitarian
organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

C.2 Usec. Villar reported that on 10 September 2018, PLAN Intl

Philippines met with her and Asec. Ortha to further discuss the other projects of
PLAN Intl such as COLLABORATIVE ACTION AGAINST TRAFFICKING
(CAAT), CYBER SAFE SPACES and GIRLS ADVOCACY ALLIANCE (GAA)
PROJECTS. According to her, It was agreed upon in the meeting that
considering these projects will be implemented in partnership with IACAT, they
will also have to be included in the MOA.

C.3 The draft MOA incorporating the said changes was submitted by
PLAN last September 17, 2018. This will then be reviewed by the DOJ Legal.
Usec. Villar inquired whether the draft MOA and resolution approving and
adopting the same be circulated to member agencies ad referendum,
considering that the previous draft MOA was already approved in the 42nd RCM.

C.4 Secretary Acosta inquired whether the Philippine Coast Guard was
notified or consulted regarding the implementation of the Safe Seas Project,
granting the fact that they exercise authority over the local waters. OIC Exec.
Director Coronel responded that since PLAN is the main implementing agency,
the MOA is only limited to the request for support from IACAT but she added
that they will clarify with PLAN whether or not the PCG was notified or consulted
regarding the project.

C.5 Usec. Villar noted the suggestion of the Sec. Acosta and assured
the council that as chair, she will clarify the matter with PLAN. There being no
motion to approve the resolution, the council agreed to tackle the issue during
the next RCM after the modified MOA has been disseminated to all the
members.

D) Results of Nomination and Selection of NGO for Endorsement of

the President

D.1 The fourth resolution presented was the Resolution on the Results
of the NGO Nomination and Selection for endorsement to the President.

D.2 Usec. Villar stated that during the 41st Regular Council Meeting, the
result of the nomination and selection of the NGO representatives was
invalidated due to the inconsistency of some of the provisions on the Guidelines
with the Revised IRR, and the perceived disqualification of the three (3)
nominees: Visayas Forum Foundation, Inc. (VFFI), International Justice Mission
(IJM), and the Blas Ople Policy and Training Center (Blas Ople), citing the
limitation on the number of times an NGO can sit as IACAT sectoral
representative.

D.3 The chair added that due to said inconsistencies, the Council,
through Resolution No. 005 s. 2018 amended the “Guidelines for the
Nomination and Selection of Sectoral Representatives to the IACAT”.

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 D.4 In the agenda of the 42nd RCM, the selection and voting of the
nominated NGOs was done through secret balloting and the votes were
accordingly tallied, and the winning sectoral representatives are CATWAP for
the women sector, IJM for the children sector and BLAS OPLE for the OFW
sector.

D.5 The recommendation to approve the Resolution on the Results of

the NGO Nomination and Selection for endorsement to the President was
approved upon motion of CFO and seconded by PCTC.

III. Other Matters

A) TIP Cases in Syria and Middle East

A.1 The next agenda in the meeting was the Trafficking in Persons
Cases in Syria and Middle East where Consul General Alex Lamadrid (CG
Lamadrid) of Damasus provided the Council with a brief background of the
extent of Trafficking in Persons in Syria and Middle East.

A.2 CG Lamadrid commenced his report with the discussion of the

deployment ban in Syria. He stated that despite the deployment ban, there are
still a large number of OFWs remaining in Syria and a handful more who have
entered the country illegally.

A.3 The consul general also made mention of the Policy of Strategic
Silence which the Philippines adopted in 2011 when the civil war in Syria and
the Middle East broke out. Said policy provided that Philippines will adopt a
neutral stance and will not take sides in the war. All that the Philippine
Government endeavors is the safe repatriation of its citizen to ensure their
protection and security.

A.4 CG Lamadrid presented in his powerpoint report the average

number of OFWs in Syria and the process of repatriation that they undertake.
He also mentioned the amount of funds used in the repatriation and the number
of OFWs that they were able to successfully repatriate. The modus operandi of
the illegal recruiters/traffickers were also discussed particularly the entry points,
the common routes and the names of suspected recruiters involved in the TIP
cases in Syria.

A.5 The consul general presented their short term recommendations

before the council to wit:

a.) that some OFWs in Syria be exempted from the deployment ban
since most of them have been in the country even before the declaration
of deployment ban. As such, they are very keen in going home in the
Philippines;

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 b.) that there must be a continued reporting of TIP cases to DOJ-IACAT
and DFA to intensify the efforts in prosecuting these cases; and

c.) that some members of the IACAT may be able to visit Syria in order
to conduct an in-depth study on TIP cases in the said country.

A.5 After the presentation of CG Lamadrid, an open-forum was

conducted to further discuss the matter and to hear some recommendations on Commented [u1]: What were the recommendations?
the possible courses of action that the council may take in order to address the
growing incidence of TIP cases in Syria.

B) Anti-Slavery Project for OFWs

B.1 The next agenda was the discussion on the “Anti-Slavery Project for
Overseas Filipino Domestic Workers”, a two year project of the Blas Ople Policy
Center and Training Institute, with support from the Global Fund to End Modern
Slavery (GFEMS) and the US Department of State.

B.2 Ms. Susan Ople discussed briefly the details of the project. She mentioned
that through GFEMS and US Department of State, Philippines together with
Vietnam and India were among the chosen countries as beneficiaries of a multi-
million dollar funding with the goal of ending modern slavery.

B.3 She added that in the country, three NGO’s (Blas Ople Center, Villar Sipag
Foundation and Fair Employment Initiative), each having particular tasks and
objectives were identified by GFEMS.

B.4 Ms. Ople pointed out the objectives of the project which will mainly focus
on the creation of a dedicated Task Force that would handle forced labor
trafficking of OFWs, with a similar multi-agency group to be formed in the
Bangsamoro region. This will be complemented by an integrated case
management system that would serve as a tool for improved cases handling
and monitoring of reports of OFW exploitation. There will also be a Private
Sector Assistance to Victims of Trafficking which will grant financial and legal
assistance to victims of TIP cases.

B.5 The Blas Ople Center has committed to submit the Terms of Reference for
the project which can be the basis for a MOA, and requested the Council to
create a Technical Working Group (TWG) in order to map out certain areas of
cooperation.

C) Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT)

C.1 Next in the agenda was the upcoming TIP Workshop to be conducted by
the United States Department of Justice Overseas Prosecutorial Development,
Assistance and Training or OPDAT. The US DOJ OPDAT have previously
partnered with IACAT in rolling out trainings and workshops aimed to provide

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 the participants with working knowledge on the salient features of the Expanded
Anti-Trafficking Law, and to establish better coordination among stakeholders.
Practical workshops also include affidavit drafting techniques as well as tips and
strategies to ensure a well-organized and proficient affidavit.

C.2 Usec. Villar stated that another round of workshop will be conducted
this year in Angeles City 27-28 November 2018. She informed the Council that
US DOJ OPDAT has requested the assistance of IACAT in identifying the
participants for the upcoming training, especially for PNP uniformed personnel.

C.3 The chair informed the PNP that IACAT Secretariat will coordinate
with their focal person to ensure that the needed participants will be provided to
DOJ OPDAT.

D) International Day Against Trafficking

D.1 Last agenda on the meeting was the discussion of the celebration of the
2018 International Day Against Trafficking (IDAT) Planning/Outline of Activities.

D.2 Usec. Villar noted that the Philippines observes December 12 of every year
as the "International Day Against Trafficking" to mark the adoption in Palermo,
Italy in 2000, of the "Protocol To Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking
in Persons, especially Women and Children." It also marks the end of the 18
Day Campaign to End Violence against Women.

D.3 The chair laid down the planned initial activities for the celebration of IDAT which
were dated as follows:

a) 6 December 2018 – International Dialogue

b) 8 December 2018 – FUN RUN
c) 10 or 11 December 2018 – Relaunch of IACAT Website (tentative)
d) 12 December 2018 – Survivor’s Day

D.4 Usec. Villar manifested that the International Dialogue will be more
of a policy development to come up with concrete steps to combat trafficking,
particularly in determining possible new trafficking-related bills that may be filed
in Congress as well as identifying amendments to current TIP legislations. Few
of the laws identified were amendments to the Cybercrime Law, Kasambahay
Law and proposals for the passage of the Magna Carta for Philippine Seafarers,
Anti-Prostitution Law and Human Smuggling Bill.

D.4 With regard to the proposed Fun Run which will kick-off the
celebration for the IDAT, the chair reported that the IACAT Secretariat is already
coordinating with an organizer for the details and logistical requirements. Said
Fun Run will feature two thousand (2000) participants coming from member
agencies.

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 D.5 It was presented during the meeting that the timeline for the
proposed activity will be as follows;

a) October 1 – sending of invitations to member agencies

b) October 26 – deadline for the list of participants from each
member-agency
c) November 12 – distribution of race kits
d) December 8 – Fun Run

D.6 As to the relaunching of the IACAT Website, Usec. Villar highlighted

that besides the fact that the website will serve as the main information media
of the Council, the same will incorporate case-monitoring feature which will be
crucial for the information and update of the TIP cases.

D.7 The final activity for the celebration of IDAT was the Survivor’s day
which according to the chair will feature recreational and entertainment
activities for the victims, survivors, repatriated OFWs and those who are in the
custody of government and NGO shelters.

D.8 Usec. Villar mentioned that the proposal was to hold said activity in
Enchanted Kingdom. She asked for other suggestions from the Council
members and the council agreed to finalize the venue and activity in the next
council meeting.

D.9 In connection with the other matters in the agenda, the CFO reported
on the result of the 1343 Action Line Logo Making Contest with sixty-six
participating entries. They presented the top 3 choices of each member-
agencies and ultimately the final top 3 winners after tabulating the votes of the
member-agencies. Usec. Villar however informed the body that she was not
able to cast her vote. After voting on her chosen logo, it was agreed that the
CFO will re-tabulate the votes and present the final choice during the next RCM.

D.10 The Blas Ople Center took the opportunity to invite the Council to
join their celebration of the OFW month which will be held on December 15,
2018 at the SSS Auditorium. She said that the activity will be participated by at
least seven hundred (700) OFWs.

D.11 The PCW also invited the Council members to attend their activities
in celebration of the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women which
will feature theatrical plays depicting different forms of violence against women.

D.12 Usec. Villar likewise suggested that the celebration of the #WeToo
Campaign may also be done during the week-long IDAT celebration at the
option of the BI.

D.13 Usec. Villar instructed the member-agencies to think and finalize

their own departmental activities in line with the IDAT celebration and to give
an update of the same during the next RCM.

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I. Next Regular Council Meeting

As agreed by the council members, the next RCM will be on November

21, 2018 at 1pm and will be held at the PICC.

II. Adjournment of Meeting

The 43rd Regular Council Meeting was adjourned at 4:50 pm.

Prepared by:

Atty. Julius A. Barcinas

IACAT Secretariat

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