The Department of Justice approved today the issuance of a watch list order against 355 individuals off-loaded at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and suspected as victims of illegal recruitment covering the period from June 1, 2009 to July 5, 2009.

In her indorsement to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Acting Justice Secretary Agnes VST Devanadera granted the request of BI Comm. Marcelino Libanan for the inclusion in the watch list the said passengers whose travel documents may have been manipulated by unscrupulous human traffickers or illegal recruiters.

The Acting Secretary clarified that the directive issued against the individuals shall remain valid unless sooner terminated or extended upon the recommendation of the Task Force Against Illegal Recruitment . The list of disembarked passengers showed that almost of them were women wanting to go abroad.

The placing of the 355 disembarked individuals in the watch list is not meant to derail their dreams of working abroad but to prevent the violation of illegal recruitment and human trafficking laws. If the papers of the workers are in order they will be allowed to travel. If ever forgery was committed, the law presumes the holder or bearer of the documents as the author of the offense.

Barely a week after being appointed as acting justice secretary, Devanadera warned human traffickers and ordered all prosecutors “to exert all efforts that will address issues concerning delay in the prosecution of human trafficking cases, at the same time urging judges for speedy decision of said cases.”

Aside from waging war against traffickers, in response to the 2009 Global Trafficking in Persons (GTIP) report of the US State Department that placed the Philippines on Tier 2 Watch List, noting that “despite overall, the government did not show evidence of progress in convicting trafficking offenders, particularly those responsible for labor trafficking.”

Devanadera asked also DOJ prosecutors to formally request judges to fast-track decisions on human trafficking cases pending in their courts. She made the move as the DOJ does not exercise supervision and control of courts where some of the cases remain undecided.