Gov’t ramps up drive vs human trafficking

by Kristina Maralit ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, March 13 ordered various government agencies to ramp up unified efforts against human trafficking.

The Chief Executive convened the InterAgency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC in Malacañang to unify efforts meant to combat human trafficking which he described as a risk to the economy and national security.

"The Iacat and the Paocc must take the lead in harmonizing government initiatives, public private partnerships to thwart the business of human trafficking in its multifarious operations on the ground and now becoming more and more important online," Marcos stressed. He directed the Presidential Communications Office to assist the Iacat in launching a communications campaign that will educate the public about the danger posed by syndicates engaged in trafficking of persons.

"Heightened public awareness is key. The Presidential Communications Office must assist Iacat in its communication campaign against trafficking in persons in order to amplify the effort," the President said, making special mention of unsuspecting Filipinas as well as children who fall prey to unscrupulous people and entities.

Pinoy teens, young children getting HIV

by mayen Jaymalin Philstar.com

MANILA— Filipino teenagers and children are getting infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) too, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

In its latest HIV/AIDS Registry of the Philippines, the agency reported that 86 Filipinos – aged 19 years and below – were diagnosed with HIV in January 2023.

“There were 79 adolescents aged 10 to 19 years old, and seven children less than 10 years old,” the report revealed.

by Bernadette e taMayo ManilaTimes.net

Of the 78 HIV-infected adolescents, 65 acquired the infection through male-to-male sex, eight through sex with both males and females, and five through male-to-female sex.

By age bracket, the DOH said 57 (72 percent of the cases) were 18 to 19 years old, 20 (25 percent) were 15 to 17 years old, and two (three percent) were only between 10 to 14 years old.

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Overseas Voting Secretariat (OVS) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) have entered into an agreement to establish local field registration centers (LFRCs) for overseas voters.

86

Except for one case that lacks data on the mode of transmission, all 78 adolescents acquired the infection through sexual contact.

The DOH previously reported a total of 1,454 new HIV cases for January 2023. The figure indicates an average of 46 new HIV cases are reported each day. In 2022, the DOH reported a 21 percent increase in the number of new HIV cases compared to the previous year. n

DFA Undersecretary Jesus Domingo and Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia signed on March 2 a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) on the establishment of LFRCs.

The registration centers will be located at the DFA consular offices in Aseana, the DFA said on Twitter on Thursday, March 9.

It will offer the opportunity for Filipinos who are about to go abroad to register as overseas voters (OVs) to be able to vote in their countries of destination during the 2025 national elections, the DFA said. The continuing registration for overseas voting for the 2025 elections began on Dec. 9, 2022, and will end on Sept. 30, 2024. Domingo expressed hope that there will be more registrants through the establishment of LFRCs. Garcia affirmed the poll body's assistance to the DFA as he enumerated the various ways to increase the number of OV registrants and, eventually, the voter turnout. n