1 Oct 2025 – Philippine maintains Tier 1 status in US trafficking report

Pia Lee-Brago, Daphne Galvez – The Philippine Star
October 1, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has maintained its Tier 1 status in the US State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) for the 10th consecutive year, according to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT).

A country is granted Tier 1 status if it fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking based on the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2002.

The report cited the Philippines’ efforts to prosecute and convict traffickers, enact new legislation to regulate fishing recruitment agencies and protect fishers and the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

The Philippines is one of only 33 countries to have achieved and maintained the top ranking out of the 188 countries assessed globally.

The Department of Justice has reaffirmed its commitment to combat trafficking, which it said is not just a legal mandate but a shared moral obligation to protect the most vulnerable from abuse and exploitation.

“There is no place for complacency in our justice system. This Tier 1 ranking is a beacon of light, an impetus for our sustained efforts,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, who also chairs the IACAT, said.

“This fight is not only for our fellow Filipino nationals whose vulnerabilities have been taken advantage of, abused and exploited, this fight is for all of humanity,” he added.

However, despite the Tier 1 ranking, the report flagged some alleged lapses by the Philippine government.

“Although the government meets the minimum standards, it did not identify the vast majority of potential trafficking victims among individuals exploited in online scam operations despite widespread reporting indicating these individuals faced conditions indicative of trafficking,” it said.

It also noted that the government did not report any foreign victims. Furthermore, the report said the government did not adequately and consistently screen potential trafficking victims of online scam operations.

“Due to insufficient screening for trafficking, especially among individuals exploited in online scam operations, authorities did not take effective measures to prevent the inappropriate penalization of potential victims solely for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked,” it said.

“The government identified fewer victims, and some officials did not use trauma-informed practices in victim identification,” it said.

“Corruption and official complicity in trafficking remained significant concerns, inhibiting law enforcement action during the year,” it added.

The report cited the case of dismissed Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo, who is being prosecuted for violation of anti-trafficking law, particularly her alleged complicity in human trafficking through an online scam operation in her jurisdiction. Guo also faces money laundering charges.

The report said authorities arrested thousands of Filipino and foreign nationals involved in online scam operations under the guise of POGOs.

Authorities also initiated an administrative investigation of a mayor, vice mayor and seven municipal council members for alleged complicity in human trafficking within an online scam operation in Porac, Pampanga.

“The mayor reportedly received an administrative sanction and the government did not report updates on any of the other cases,” the report said.