The Diocese of Dumaguete in Oriental Negros has thrown its support to the drive against the trafficking of persons in the country.

Dumaguete Bishop John Du, in a pastoral message read in all Roman Catholic churches throughout the Diocese yesterday, said trafficking is one of the greatest human rights challenges in our country.

"Driven by a global demand for cheap, docile and vulnerable labor, trafficking is a modern-day slavery that deserves widespread attention," Du said.

He reminded the faithful that in Biblical times, the Israelites were trafficked to Egypt only to suffer for years under the slavery of the Pharaoh.

In this modern age, scores of potential victims of trafficking are spotted in key transit areas such as airports, ports and bus terminals, and hundreds more are being rescued from exploitative work such as prostitution, servitude and bonded labor, the pastoral message said.

Du said the Diocese is committed to participate in the anti-trafficking roadshow from Feb. 19-23, which is a massive provincial awareness drive to put a stop to trafficking in the cities and town of the province.

This, he said, is in line with the pastoral exhortations laid down by the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines in 1990, which concerns the plight of the rural poor and the women and children.

Du also called on all the faithful to be aware and vigilant over their rights and the specific provisions for children and women workers in Republic Act 9209 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law. He also called on them to actively participate in detecting and reporting the activities of traffickers and recruiters in their communities.

Lastly, the Bishop called on everyone to uphold and protect the integrity of persons and families by promoting strong advocacy and information drive down to the barangay level.

The drive against trafficking comes about amid the possibility that the Philippines may face diplomatic sanctions in the release of financial aid for development programs from the United States, after a report from the United States Trafficking in Persons placed the Philippines in its Tier 2 watchlist.

The US State Department annually classifies each country depending on the concrete actions taken by the government to combat the trafficking problem.

Vic Abadesco, Visayas coordinator of the Visayan Forum, a non-government organization that began in 1991 and partnered with the Negros Oriental government last year, told a recent Kapihan forum that the Philippines' spot in the Tier 2 watchlist is so because there have yet been no convictions made on traffickers.

Abadesco warned that trafficking in the country has become alarming that the country faces the possibility of being downgraded further to Tier 3.

Efforts to combat trafficking in persons are now being intensified in the country, with the Visayan Forum spearheading the launching of the Filipino Initiative Against Trafficking in Persons road show campaign, the fourth leg of which will be launched in Oriental Negros.

Abadesco said that the province plays a pivotal role in the campaign as it has been identified as one of the trafficking "hotspots" or one of the major recruitment grounds for victims and potential trafficking of victims.

"Oriental Negros is a transit area and at the center of development, commerce and transportation and it is a fertile recruitment ground for traffickers," he said.*AP

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