Land of the Morning: human trafficking

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Zamboanga City Prosecutor Won Human Trafficking Hero Award

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR

Assistant city prosecutor, Darlene Pajarito of Zamboanga City received on 29 June 2011 (Wednesday) from United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the Global Trafficking in Persons Hero Award for her outstanding performance in successfully prosecuting the highest number of human trafficking cases in the Philippines. Clinto presented the award at the 2011 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons held in Washington DC, USA.

This blog reported in an earlier entry on the extent of Pajarito's performance in her crusade against human trafficking as a prosecutor in the Mindanao city.

Sources

Marlon Ramos: "US honors Zamboanga city prosecutor," Philippine Daily Inquirer 29 June 2011.
Jill Beltran: "Palace lauds Zambo prosecutor for human trade hero award," SunStar Manila 29 June 2011.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Zamboanga City Distinguished Itself Against Human Trafficking

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR

Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 14 Judge Reynerio Estacio sentenced today a labor trafficker to 20 years in prison and P1 million in fines. This fifth conviction since the passing to law Republic Act 9208, otherwise known as the Anti-Trafficking of Persons Law of 2003, made Zamboanga City the highest conviction rates of human traffickers, after it became the first city to convict a human trafficker in 2005.

Third Assistant City Prosecutor Darlene Pajarito handled all the these successful case convictions.

Past Convictions

2005 December 5 RTC branch 16 judge Jesus Carbon Jr. hand two life imprisonments in a proceeding that concluded in a record period of five months.

2007 Again Judge Carbon handed out a life imprisonment with P1 million fine to the guilty accused.

2008 Once again Judge Carbon metted 20 years of imprisonment with P1 million fine to the guilty accused.

2010 August 8 Judge Carbon made the 4th conviction, and the 19th in the country.

Sources

Bong Garcia: "Zamboanga tops in anti-trafficking campaign," SunStar Zamboanga 15 February 2011

Quotes that History Will Remember

Would the bishops rather that we keep mum or we lie about it? Would they want us to just keep quiet about this?--Aleta Tolentino, PCSO Director

We do not want to turn over another unfinished business to the next administration. It stops with us.--Teresita Deles, Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process

I believed then, as I believe now, that the court... was overly intrusive with respect to a power that does not belong to it by restrainingh without hearing a coequal branch of government.--Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Supreme Court of the Philippines

This Court, in striking down EO 1 creating the Truth Commission, overrules the manifest will of the Filipino people to start the difficult task of putting an end to graft and corruption in government, denies the President his basic constitutional power to determine the facts in his faithful execution of the law, and suppresses whatever truth may come out in the purely fact-finding investigation of the Truth Commission... History will record the ruling today of the Court's majority as a severe case of judicial overreach that made the incumbent President a diminished Executive in an affront to a co-equal branch of government, crippled our already challenged justice system, and crushed the hopes of the long suffering Filipino people for an end to graft and corruption in government.--Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Supreme Court of the Philippines

The people's freedom to criticize the government includes the right to criticize the courts, their proceedings and decisions... And to enhance the open court principle and allow the people to make fair and reasoned criticism of the courts, the sub judice rule excludes from its coverage fair and accurate reports (without comment) of what have actually taken place in open court.--Associate Justice Arturo Brion, Supreme Court of the Philippines