Converging in Manila, they landed in Zamboanga City. Always traveling in small groups of 10 or less they boarded a boat or plane for Bongao, Taiw-Tawi. At the pier after 13 hours at sea they were fetched and brought to a safe house before their trip to Malaysia by speedboat.
Some admit to have been recruited for prostitution. Others believe they had employers waiting to take them on as maids and waitresses at bars. Countless incidents of buying and selling mostly females take place, bearing out the recent remarks of US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas Junior as fact. True, his comments about prostitution and sex tourism in the Philippines stirred a bitter debate in the country. No doubt, being a diplomat, Ambassador Thomas receives updates on Philippine intelligence briefings on various issues of national and international significance including prostitution because trafficking of women and children has cross-border implications.
In Sta. Rosa, Laguna PNP assets easily identify prostitutes as they tend to converge in one area waiting for customers, thus identifying a regular gathering place for street prostitution. Women are picked up and driven away by their clients. Bar prostitutes are regularly monitored by PNP officers working undercover who ask questions to verify the particulars of the trade. How much do they charge for intercourse? Intercourse costs P to P1, depending on how pretty or how young the girl is.
College students who sideline as prostitutes are paid P2, Rosa prostitutes come from Pampanga, Tarlac and the Visayas. It is an issue that we cannot simply brush aside, because of an apology. How can we ignore this when the Philippines is number five among the countries that are hosts to prostitution? What aggravates our position is , of these sex workers are child prostitutes in Manila, according to the estimates of the International Labor Organization ILO.
What brings about prostitution aside from adventure and thrills? Poverty has been identified as the primary push factor of prostitution. Parents, relatives and friends with no regular source of income breed and encourage prostitution for cash.
