22 May 2015 - Frontliners of the Philippine Embassy in Singapore took part in a re-echo seminar on Trafficking In Persons (TIP) conducted by Senior State Prosecutor Lilian Doris Alejo of the Department of Justice from May 15 to 16 at the Orchard Hotel, Singapore.

During the opening remarks of the seminar, Philippine Ambassador to Singapore Antonio A. Morales conveyed the hope that the participants would be able to enhance their skills in both identifying as well as knowing the relevant laws and regulations on TIP both in Singapore and in the Philippines.

Speakers from two Singapore-based non-government organizations (NGOs), Humanitarian Organization on Migration Economics (HOME) as well as the United Nations (UN) Women Singapore Chapter provided a background on the trafficking situation in Singapore. The Embassy’s Assistance-To-Nationals (ATN) Section presented the results of the TIP Seminar-Workshop conducted by the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) in December 2014 in Osaka, Japan, as well as a briefer on the Singapore Trafficking In Person’s Act of 2014, which protects the rights of individuals who are deemed to have been trafficked in Singapore.

Prosecutor Alejo discussed the Anti-Trafficking Act, the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs in TIP cases, especially in the Foreign Service Post, as well as the Violence Against Women Act. During the last day, participants where tasked to discuss in groups case studies and to determine whether trafficking occurred in these instances.

In his concluding remarks, Ambassador Morales thanked the participants and vowed that the Embassy will conduct in the near future a seminar on TIP for the benefit of the greater Filipino community in Singapore. END