GOVERNMENT prosecutors were able to secure convictions in 50 various trafficking cases in the first half of 2025, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) said yesterday.
IACAT Executive Director Hannah Lizette Manalili said the 50 is part of the 111 cases filed in various courts in the country against human traffickers.
“With the collaborative efforts of our task forces and member agencies, we have prosecuted a total of 111 cases. That is only for the first half of 2025. Of this, a total of 50 convictions were secured,” Manalili said in a press briefing to highlight the culmination of the National Anti-Trafficking in Persons Awareness Month and the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and IACAT’s continuing campaign against human traffickers.
“So this demonstrates our unwavering effort not only to monitor cases but to prosecute. That’s our strong commitment not only to rescue victims but to file cases against their perpetrators,” she added.
Manalili said the 111 trafficking cases involved 58 for sex trafficking and 63 for forced labor.
Of those convicted, 14 are for sex trafficking and one for illegal adoption of a child.
In addition to this, Manalili said IACAT provided support to a total of 900 victims of various forms of trafficking for the first half of the year through its operations center.
“For the first half of 2025, we repatriated a total of 375 Filipino citizens outside the country. And they had assistance in the Philippines with the help of our partners, namely the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Department of Social Work and Development (DSWD), and the Bureau of Immigration (BI),” she said.
At the same time, Manalili said they are now seeing a shift in the social strata of human trafficking victims.
“Traditionally, those who are vulnerable are those in the lower economic income bracket, but now, we have seen a shift, especially in terms of forced labor being the highest number of victims of trafficking,” she said.
“There is a shift in human trafficking, our kababayan who are educated are being offered opportunities outside the Philippines,” she said.
Manalili’s remarks echoed those made by the Bureau of Immigration that a growing number of trafficked victims are now educated and professionals.
“They are recruited by being offered a higher salary but when they arrive, the situation they face is different,” Manalili added.
Early this month, the DFA raised the alarm on Filipinos still trapped in scam hubs across Southeast Asia.
Although it did not say how many Filipinos are working in scam hubs in the region, the department said it continues to receive reports of trafficking victims from various sources.
