Broad strategy vs slavery out

The government is implementing a comprehensive “whole-of-nation” blueprint to counter modern-day slavery, Department of Justice (DoJ) Undersecretary Nicholas Felix Ty, who serves as head of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, said.

The Philippines recently retained its Tier 1 status in the US Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons report, a status that has been maintained for 11 consecutive years.

Ty clarified that this top-tier designation indicates sustained government enforcement and response rather than the total eradication of human trafficking.

Ty cautioned that human trafficking has rapidly adapted to the digital era, moving beyond traditional labor exploitation into complex, cross-border schemes.

He cited criminal networks utilizing fraudulent offshore operations to enforce forced labor, torturing individuals trapped into running online investment and “love scams.”

Exploitation targeting children directly from their homes to foreign buyers online has been heavily exacerbated by poverty and digital access, according to Ty.

Ty added that schemes offer large sums to vulnerable Filipinas to enter illegal surrogacy contracts abroad, leaving them legally exposed in restrictive destinations.