Sustain fight vs human trafficking – ex-DoJ official

FORMER justice undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar on Tuesday urged the government to keep the fight against human trafficking “at all costs” as he welcomed the Senate investigation on the reported human trafficking at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

He was referring to the Senate blue ribbon committee (BRC) probe on the alleged “new high-end” human trafficking scheme at the country's premier gateway.

Salazar was once at the forefront of the country's fight against human smuggling as head of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

The Senate probe was an offshoot of Sen. Mary Grace Poe's expose on what she said could be another grand design of a “human trafficking” scheme at NAIA involving a private aircraft and foreign nationals.

The senator said that “the Manila International Airport Authority, Bureau of Immigration, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Aviation Group and the Globan Aviation will have a lot of explaining to do.”

In a speech last February 15, Poe claimed that police and airport authorities failed to stop the departure of a Dubai-bound flight that carried 10 foreigners, but only seven were declared before immigration officials.

“I believe there is more to this kind of a high-end modus that concerned government officials must look into the soonest possible time,” said Salazar. “The Senate's move is a step in the right direction to unearth the identities of perpetrators at the soonest possible time.”

The “modus operandi” was exposed when the PNP Aviation Security Group received an “anonymous tip” about a human trafficking activity involving an aircraft that is set to depart for Dubai at about 10 p.m. on the same day at the NAIA.

It said that only six passengers were declared but 14 passengers will board the aircraft.

“We say that there could be more to this that might have been perfected a long time ago and every time with cargoes as well in such instances. If human trafficking can take place, how much more with illegal drugs,” Salazar, who also served as undersecretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, said.

“This is a very serious matter because if human trafficking can take place using private planes, how much more with illegal drugs that might only be considered as mere cargoes,” he added.

“As I said, the recent accidental discovery of the latest illegal activity could only be the tip of the iceberg. Thus, a Senate inquiry into this is a very welcome step,” he said.

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go has expressed apprehension over the reported human trafficking scheme at the NAIA since it might involve national security.

“This is very disturbing and we condemn this new case of human trafficking using private jets,” Go said in Filipino and English during a chance interview in Quezon City on February 17.

“It appeared on the report that there are foreign passengers on board,” he said. Go voiced concern that some groups “use our airports as transit or exit point for smuggled people.”

“This should be stopped. This should be looked into thoroughly because there could be ‘national security dimension' in this case,” he said.