Manny Villar and His Campaign Against Human Trafficking

Written on Sunday, July 6th, 2008 at 8:02 pm | by Patricio Mangubat

Senate president and presidentiable Manny Villar is in very serious trouble. His foreign affairs and OFW adviser, Ambassador Lauro Baja is being charged for alleged human trafficking, racketeering and forced labor by a fellow Filipino.

What now, Mr. Villar? Should we be concerned, since, you said in that television commercial of yours, that we need to report those who commit human trafficking and such crimes against our Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)?

How will we do that now when the very person you made as your adviser is himself, deeply involved in such affairs? How will you now justify your OFW campaign? Is the TVC just a ploy of yours to hide the fact that your adviser is one of the “mastermind” in his alleged human smuggling operations in the States?

How many Bajas do you have in your circle of influence, Mr. Senate President? I’m sure you checked each and every one’s background. Are you sure that every adviser has been checked out? Do you have others involved in other rackets, like jueteng, drugs, and smuggling?

More than this though, if news about Ambassador Lauro Baja is true, that’s a big blot in the eye for the Philippine foreign service. And it seems that he’s not the only one involved in this kind of racket. A few months ago, another Filipino diplomat pleaded guilty for a similar offense, that of forced labor and racketeering. What happened to our once prestigious foreign affairs?

This department has been our source of pride in the past. Many idealistic individuals like me dreamt of someday working there. I did manage to work there as head of the economic diplomacy unit of the DFA think-tank. It was a brief stint. Though entry was very competitive, I decided to go back to media, my first love. Unlike any other government agency, the DFA seems to be the most viable and the most reputable place for one to work. It has the least record for corruption, unlike the BIR and Customs. With this report on Baja’s and other similar incidents involving our envoys, a thorough investigation should be undertaken.

This is a very serious offense which merits a total overhaul, if not, a total re-examination of the list of individuals we allow to serve our fellow Filipinos living abroad. Baja is a career diplomat who once served the UN Security Council. What has prompted him to do such a despicable thing? Was it low pay? Was it for his retirement or pension funds? What is happening to our society that the least corrupt government agency has been turned into a place of slave traders?

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About The Author: Patricio Mangubat is a pseudonym. It means "country fight". Yet, the one behind this name is real. He can be briefly described as a long-time activist as well as a communication strategist. He blogs at The New Philippine Revolution.

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Comments

3 Responses to “Manny Villar and His Campaign Against Human Trafficking”

  1. PSI on July 6th, 2008 8:46 pm

    Touche, Patricio!

    Mr. Villar had been out in the presidential derby early taking cause with Migrante. Sad thing is, he got burned, as you said.

    That’s why we should not allow these politians to hijack issues they barely understand, nor practiced by their supposed expert ‘advisers.’

    The cry should be: “Insulate the bureaucracy from politics!!!”

  2. thenashman on July 6th, 2008 10:54 pm

    Maybe Manny Villar should change his motto to “Dahil sa Sipag, Slavery, at Tiyaga”……

  3. Leah on July 9th, 2008 1:01 am

    Please visit the link below to view DAMAYAN’s press announcement about the campaign for “Justice for Marichue! End Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery of All Filipina Domestic Workers!”

    http://ugnayan.blogspot.com/2008/07/justice-for-marichu-end-trafficking-and.html

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