16 April 2015 – Executive Director Reynaldo A. Catapang of the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA),  as Head of the Philippine delegation, highlighted several initiatives that form part of Philippines’ major reforms in crime prevention and criminal justice when he delivered the country statement on April 13 at the high-level segment of the 13^th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Doha.

Among the initiatives he cited are as follows:

1. Amendment and strengthening of the Anti-Money Laundering Law to include foreign exchange corporations, money changers and jewelry dealers among the institutions that report to the Anti-Money Laundering Council. These institutions are required to report all transactions involving a threshold amount, as well as the expansion of the predicate crimes covered by the law to fully discourage the Philippines as a money-laundering site;

2. Passage of the Terrorist Financing Prevention Act in 2012, which criminalizes financing of terrorism;

3. Strengthening of the Juvenile Justice Act and Welfare Act in 2012;

4. Passage of the Cybercrime Prevention Act, which enables the prosecution of computer crimes and provides a legal framework for the protection of communication and computers from abuse and misuse;

5. Full implementation of the Philippine criminal justice technology platform, called the National Justice Information System (NJSI), for better coordination among judicial and related institutions;

6. Passage of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012, which widened the definition of trafficking in persons and recognizes trafficked persons as victims; and,

7. Leading regional efforts to conclude negotiations on the draft ASEAN Convention Against Trafficking in Persons (ACTIP) and its corresponding Regional Plan of Action (RPA), which will be endorsed for ratification during the ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in November 2015.

The opening ceremony of the 13^th UN CCPCJ was held on April 12 in the presence of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the Qatar National Convention Center. This is the 60^th anniversary of this Congress.

The Philippine delegation was composed of Executive Director Catapang, Department of Justice (DOJ) Assistant Secretary Geronimo L. Sy, Philippine Embassy in Doha Charge d’Affaires Gonaranao B. Musor, Bureau of Immigration Associate Commissioner Abdullah S. Mangotara, National Bureau of Investigation Acting Regional Director Ferdinand M. Lavin, DOJ Assistant City Prosecutor Darlene R. Pajarito, Philippine Embassy in Vienna Third Secretary Janina Lourdes S. Bustos, DFA-Office of the United Nations and Other Organizations Acting Director Angella Gilberto L. Alfafara, DOJ Attorney Ma. Yvette M. Tamayo, and DFA-OUMWA Desk Assistant for Transnational Crime Mauro B. Fajardo III. END