Senator Loren Legarda on Friday cautioned that human trafficking in the Philippines is rapidly shifting toward digital platforms, with syndicates exploiting emerging technologies to target women and girls.
Despite decades of legislation and the country’s strong global standing in anti-trafficking efforts, Legarda said exploitation persists, with women and girls remaining the most vulnerable.
“Before traffickers hid behind usernames, encrypted chats, and closed groups, I saw exploitation in its rawest form. As a young journalist, I documented how women and children were traded through illegal recruiters and organized syndicates. When I entered the Senate, one of the first measures I pursued was an anti-trafficking in persons law,” she recalled.
The Philippines has enacted key laws, including the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 and its expanded versions, as well as measures targeting online sexual abuse of children. Legarda stressed that these safeguards must keep pace with evolving threats.
Citing data from the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, she said 445 victims were assisted last year, most of them women and girls. In 2024, authorities assisted 1,377 victims of exploitation, including illegal recruitment and adoption cases.
Government records also showed 706 potential trafficking victims were repatriated in 2024, many linked to scam operations across Southeast Asia—a significant increase from the previous year.
Legarda warned that trafficking methods are increasingly digital.
“Recruitment now happens online. Social media platforms are used to lure victims through fraudulent job offers, false identities, and emotional manipulation. Deepfake technology now complicates evidence and distorts accountability,” she said.
“It is a stark reminder that when profit overshadows responsibility, children, especially girls, bear the consequences.”
Marking Women’s Month, Legarda urged stronger action beyond policy declarations.
“This Women’s Month, let us move beyond declarations and commit to measurable outcomes—stronger identification systems, tighter digital enforcement, sustained prosecution, and reintegration services that allow survivors to rebuild with security and dignity,” she said.