Anti-Sex Pervert MathewCob's Disinformation Campaign

[Wicked Roger]

Can't wait to get back to AC.

Well said from someone who likes AC (as BD knows, it is not my favourite place on the Philippines). Now onto the misinformation / disinformation being spread IMHO which WC1 and NB have provided thoughtful replies.

I think that Reverend Mcob should be given his own thread so he can preach his special brand of proselytizing to his heart's content and his posts can be completely ignored except by those that seek his spiritual guidance. This guy has an agenda. Reminds me of the old John Lee Hooker song,"Burning Hell." Reverend Mcob, you ain't no Deacon Jones.

Agreed I have asked Jackson if this is possible as this does clog up the AC thread.

Much of the above, Matt, is wrong. I didn't see anyone on this board say that bars weren't being raided or closed (temporarily). Show us the guy (s) who say that. I myself have posted such closings (as have others).

So, they are waiting on something to start the arrests? What would that be. The current crackdown was in effect when I was there last month. How many customer arrests were there for barfining? I didn't see any. Nobody has reported any here (that would be big news). If its going to start in the future, lets not worry about it until it does?

Not true. An entire industry will break a sweat.

All that having been said, I wonder the following: Assume Matt is right, and AC bars go away like the wind. This is not a death-nail for the sport. The girls will just be available in different forms elsewhere, and there will be one less reason for many of us to make the bus trip north from Manila. More girls will be available in those places wherever they come from, or wherever the work takes them. There's simply no way to reduce the oldest profession.

Ageed WC1. MCobb and Western (who maybe the same or an alter ego) have agendas (to quote others) and if AC goes the way of the banks so Subic will rise again when the US military arrive so just a change of venue. And what will those in AC do for their pocket money (ie cash they don't earn but can screw from the bars), their wives and mistresses still need pasalubongs so who will pay for them?

Lots of misinformation and speculation so hopefully a separate thread can be created and MCobb and Western can write to their hearts content about their views.

AC is fine but maybe changing in some areas but will still exist. Clark maybe trying to become a clean middle class hub but that is years away. Go around or whatever you call them will exist.

I was there the other night (just a day to see an old friend who still insists on living there (not sure why he does live there as AC not my favourite place) and he knows many bar owners). Nothing seems to have changed dramatically he told me, some issues with those who want more money and trying to screw more from the owners but basically you take whatever you like etc – same as you and others have stated (not as MCobb has repeatedly said)

Western you preach here but then post videos / links of Thai massage parlours (undercover you say in your FR)

http://www.internationalsexguide.inf...LIP-and-ANNIES! P=1442875&viewfull=1#post1442875.

And you also seem to know the NGOs well in Thailand based on your FRs there (but some FRs I can't open but are visible from the search only) and you talk about how hard it is to edit out LBs in a Geylang video – me thinks you may have an agenda also (unless you are the alter ego of another poster LOL).

[Western787]

. It is all about shaking the money tree.

Using the old rule "always follow the money", the problem now is the big money seems now to be on the other side of the equation, and that's the point I am making.

If this is just about "spreading paranoia" based on little if any evidence, why would that stop YOU from making trips reports with your usual details and so forth? I mean after all, you could just discount whatever Mr Cob or myself are saying.

Look, everything could on a nominal (surface) basis go back to normal, but the overriding larger issue doesn't seem like its going to go away anytime soon, and if a monger gets targeted with this, the downside here is horrific.

[BrainDrain]

Despite significant local demand in the country's thriving commercial sex trade, the government's efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts in the Philippines were negligible. During the year, the government charged two child sex tourists under the anti-trafficking law and deported 15 foreign nationals for child sex crimes.

Can't wait to get back to AC.

[WestCoast1]

If the Philippines would merely clarify what the actual law is, and how it would be enforced, then Fields could perhaps return to some level of semi normal, but that does not seem likely now.

Its not impossible for a situation where Tourist A goes to Club X and takes out 19 year old Bar Girl B (using a bar fine, or whatever going around method is in use). B in fact actually is 19 years old, an adult, and gave full consent. However assume the next day she is claiming that she was "forced" to work at Club X. A is then arrested for having sex with a "trafficked victim", held w / o bail, and if he is older could effectively be facing life in prison.

I'm with Natty.

What difference does it make what the law says for filipinos? Prostitution is illegal in phils (and in most places) , but its mostly ignored (everywhere). So few people go to jail for it that the rest of us don't worry about the incidence rate.

W787, you must admit, that last paragraph describing A and B is alway possible, but way out of the norm. When it starts happening on a regular basis its news, but not before. One could have raised the same scenario one year ago, or 5 years ago. We will have to wait and see how the US pressure effects the scene on the ground. Whole lotta fear going on here?

[Member #4698]

I think that Reverend Mcob should be given his own thread so he can preach his special brand of proselytizing to his heart's content and his posts can be completely ignored except by those that seek his spiritual guidance. This guy has an agenda. Reminds me of the old John Lee Hooker song, "Burning Hell." Reverend Mcob, you ain't no Deacon Jones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wTESIPAtMo

Everybody talk about it
Burning Hell
Ain't no heaven, I know
Ain't no Burning Hell
Where I die I go
Can't nobody tell

I am going, Deacon Jones
I went down to the church house
I got down on my bended knee
I prayed, I prayed all night, I prayed
Deacon Jones, pray for me

I went down to the church house
I got down on my knee
I begged, Deacon Jones to pray for me
He said, son, here my hand

Ain't no heaven
Ain't no Burning Hell

Ain't no heaven, Ain't no heaven, no Burning Hell
When I die, where I go, nobody know

No Burning Hell
Ain't no burning, no Burning Hell
When I die, in my grave, nobody know where I'm going
Ain't no heaven, ain't no hell

[WestCoast1]

I think its clear to say that the powers that be have made up their minds that they are going to clean up [CodeWord908] in the Philippines and especially in the Angeles bar area.

He might be right. Its a wait-and-see situtation.

It's funny that some can see clearly the direction Angeles is being forced into and also accept that Angeles has changed beyond all recognition to just a few short years ago.

You're guessing (as I am) , nothing more.

But hang on, some on here swear blind that the party is still in full swing, the bargirls are falling over each other to barfine, their recent trip was the best so far, there are no raids, the mayor, police, the US led special units do not exist, they are only a fiction in some posters imagination.

They claim customers have never been arrested, bar owners have never been arrested, bar girls / managers / mamasans have never been arrested, the bars of Angeles are full to the rafters of stunning girls, all will bar fine no probs, no girls have left and returned home due to fear of arrest, all is just dandy, come on down to Angeles, the chance of getting arrested or charged with any crime is non existent, the human traffick laws just do not exist and if they do so what, stop worrying so much.

Much of the above, Matt, is wrong. I didn't see anyone on this board say that bars weren't being raided or closed (temporarily). Show us the guy(s) who say that. I myself have posted such closings (as have others).

Nobody said mamasans were never arrested. Show us the guy(s) who say that.

The chance of getting arrested is non existant. Show us the guy(s) who say that.

Human traffic laws do not exist. Show us the guy(s) who say that. in fact Western has been posting them.

The bars of Angeles are full to the rafters with stunning girls. Just the opposite, many posters mention the number of '6' and '7's in the bars.

All will barfine no problem. They are not saying that. They are saying: the barfine format has shifted (yet again, like the last few times in 10 years).

Believe me when I say, the mayor is serious, he is not allowing go arounds, party animals, trays of drinks to be used in payment for [CodeWord908] (prostitution).

Apparently, from the recent posts, one of two things is happening:

1. Matt is right, and the posters of recent barfines are all hallucinating; or.

2. Matt is wrong (no offense, I was wrong once myself, in 1981, when I got married haha).

As we have discussed before many agents, under cover police, informants are actively working in large numbers in the bars, they are gathering info, watching who's hiring young dancers, watching who's trying to get around the laws and acting on info given.

Of course. How is this different than the last several crackdowns over the years?

In the end the mayor knows full well that the arrest and international news reports of foreign customers being charged under human traffick violations will be the final death blow to angeles, will they use it, I believe so, lets wait and see.

So, they are waiting on something to start the arrests? What would that be. The current crackdown was in effect when I was there last month. How many customer arrests were there for barfining? I didn't see any. Nobody has reported any here (that would be big news). If its going to start in the future, lets not worry about it until it does?

For the guys that say Angeles is too big to fail, then think again,

Concur. See the much larger American bank situation of 2009. Too large to fail. Haha.

as many have previously pointed out angeles is tiny and contributes very small amounts of revenue when you look at the bigger picture,

True.

no one is going to break a sweat over losing that revenue,

Not true. An entire industry will break a sweat.

Now for the usual suspects that after reading this will flood on here to rubbish / silence those giving their honest views, I'll be wearing my flame proof suit, thanks.

That would be my job, thanks!

All that having been said, I wonder the following: Assume Matt is right, and AC bars go away like the wind. This is not a death-nail for the sport. The girls will just be available in different forms elsewhere, and there will be one less reason for many of us to make the bus trip north from Manila. More girls will be available in those places wherever they come from, or wherever the work takes them. There's simply no way to reduce the oldest profession.

Matt, I'm not making a judgement call here. Either you are right, or you are wrong. I'm not trying so silence your voice, just disagreeing with it. Post away.

[MathewCob]

Western 787, thanks for your latest post, some very interesting comments in the report you posted.

I think its clear to say that the powers that be have made up their minds that they are going to clean up [CodeWord908] in the Philippines and especially in the Angeles bar area.

It's funny that some can see clearly the direction Angeles is being forced into and also accept that Angeles has changed beyond all recognition to just a few short years ago.

But hang on, some on here swear blind that the party is still in full swing, the bargirls are falling over each other to barfine, their recent trip was the best so far, there are no raids, the mayor, police, the US led special units do not exist, they are only a fiction in some posters imagination.

They claim customers have never been arrested, bar owners have never been arrested, bar girls / managers / mamasans have never been arrested, the bars of Angeles are full to the rafters of stunning girls, all will bar fine no probs, no girls have left and returned home due to fear of arrest, all is just dandy, come on down to Angeles, the chance of getting arrested or charged with any crime is non existent, the human traffick laws just do not exist and if they do so what, stop worrying so much.

Believe me when I say, the mayor is serious, he is not allowing go arounds, party animals, trays of drinks to be used in payment for [CodeWord908] (prostitution).

As we have discussed before many agents, under cover police, informants are actively working in large numbers in the bars, they are gathering info, watching who's hiring young dancers, watching who's trying to get around the laws and acting on info given.

In the end the mayor knows full well that the arrest and international news reports of foreign customers being charged under human traffick violations will be the final death blow to angeles, will they use it, I believe so, lets wait and see.

For the guys that say Angeles is too big to fail, then think again, as many have previously pointed out angeles is tiny and contributes very small amounts of revenue when you look at the bigger picture, no one is going to break a sweat over losing that revenue,

Now for the usual suspects that after reading this will flood on here to rubbish / silence those giving their honest views, I'll be wearing my flame proof suit, thanks.

[Wicked Roger]

Mr Cobb's concerns appear to be well founded. In any case we will soon know whether the Mayor accepts "go arounds".

This the actual (TIP) report issued by USA Sec of State John Kerry in June 2013.

Always amazes me how the USA is so much into telling the world how to behave when in its own backyard there are many illegal and exploited immigrants who are equally trafficked etc. I have family in the USA and go there many times but still amazes me that people forget this fact all the same.

As to AC, as I said a while ago "why bite the hand that feeds" unless some people want more.

And when the US military regain Subic etc (see reports in the press saying this is inevitable) then all bets are off or will the US declare Subic a "traffick free zone " where people can't be arrested and still do naughty things like talk to girls?

Major dilemas are coming up for politicians so be careful what you wish for everyone.

[Western787]

mr cobb's concerns appear to be well founded. however, currently unknown is 1. whether the mayor accepts "go arounds." 2. whether typical (provider 18 and over) p4p tourists will soon be arrested under so-called "[CodeWord908]" laws.

this the actual (tip) report issued by usa sec of state john kerry in june 2013. i capitalized certain words that make it clear they are going after the entire p4p industry under the pretense of "[CodeWord908]" and irregardless of whether the provider is of lawful (18 and over) age and gives full consent. angeles (and subic's) relative small size in regard to tourism does not matter, as the leverage here is about the air and naval bases, as it relates to the current situation with china.

trafficking in persons report 2013

philippines tier 2

the philippines is a source country and, to a much lesser extent, a destination and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. a significant number of filipino men and women who migrate abroad for work are subsequently subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude. men, women, and children are subjected to conditions of forced labor in factories, at construction sites, on fishing vessels, on agricultural plantations, and in the shipping industry, as well as in domestic service and other service sector jobs in asia and increasingly throughout the middle east. a significant number of filipina women working in domestic service in foreign countries also face [CodeWord123], physical violence, and sexual abuse. skilled filipino migrant workers such as engineers and nurses are also subjected to conditions of forced labor abroad. filipina women were subjected to sex trafficking in malaysia, singapore, hong kong, republic of korea, china, japan, saudi arabia, united arab emirates, qatar, kuwait, and syria.

trafficking of men, women, and children within the country also remains a significant problem. people are trafficked from rural areas to urban centers including manila, cebu, the city of angeles, and increasingly cities in mindanao, as well as within other urban areas and tourist destinations such as boracay, olongapo, puerta galera, and surigao. men are subjected to forced labor and debt bondage in agriculture, including on sugar cane plantations, and in the fishing industry. women and children were trafficked within the country the country for forced labor as domestic workers and small-scale factory workers, for forced begging, and for exploitation in the commercial sex trade. hundreds of victims are subjected to sex trafficking each day in well-known and highly visible business establishments that cater to filipinos' and foreign tourists demand for commercial sex acts. filipino migrant workers, both domestically and abroad, who became trafficking victims are often subjected to violence, threats, inhumane living conditions, nonpayment of salaries, confinement, and withholding of travel and identity documents.

traffickers, at times in partnership with organized crime syndicates and corrupt government officials, recruit family and friends from villages and urban neighborhoods, sometimes masquerading as representatives of government-registered employment agencies. during the year, traffickers increasingly used email and social networking sites to fraudulently recruit filipinos for overseas work. fraudulent recruitment practices and the institutionalized practice of paying recruitment fees leave workers vulnerable to forced labor, debt bondage, and commercial sexual exploitation. reports that illicit recruiters used student, intern, and exchange program visas to circumvent the philippine government and receiving countries' regulatory frameworks for foreign workers are not uncommon. recruiters continued to employ various methods to avoid government-run victim detection units at airports and seaports. traffickers utilized budget airlines, inter-island ferries and barges, buses, small private boats, and even chartered flights to transport their victims domestically and internationally. organized crime syndicates transported sex trafficking victims from china through the philippines en route to third-country destinations.

child sex tourism remained a serious problem in the philippines, with sex tourists coming from northeast asia, australia, new zealand, europe, and north america to engage in the commercial sexual exploitation of children. increasingly, filipino children are coerced to perform sex acts for internet broadcast to paying foreign viewers. an ngo reported an increasing risk of boys becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

children in conflict-afflicted areas were particularly vulnerable to trafficking. the moro islamic liberation front, a separatist group, and the new people's army were identified by the un as among the world's persistent perpetrators of violations against children in armed conflict, including unlawfully recruiting and using children. during the year, the un reported on the abu sayyaf group's continued targeting of children for conscription as both combatants and noncombatants. there were reports that, in one incident, the armed forces of the philippines (afp) forced two children aged 12 and 13 to serve as guides; the children were reportedly released the same day. there were also reports that one child was inadvertently recruited into a paramilitary entity operational under the afp during the year.

the government of the philippines does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. the government sustained its levels of funding for the inter-agency council against trafficking (iacat) at the equivalent of approximately $1. 2 million in 2012 and continued efforts to implement anti-trafficking laws and policies at the national, regional, and provincial levels. it undertook notable efforts to prevent the trafficking of overseas workers and to protect filipino victims exploited abroad, and increased many of its financial and human resource allocations to combat trafficking. it did not, however, make significant progress in addressing the underlying weaknesses in its judicial system, which stymied efforts to hold trafficking offenders accountable, and the overall number of prosecutions and convictions remained disproportionately low for the size of the problem. it enacted amendments to its anti-trafficking legislation that could facilitate prosecution of a wider range of cases, but the excessive length of trials and lack of public prosecutors dedicated to trafficking cases continue to limit progress. the government identified and provided protections to trafficking victims but did not make significant efforts to increase the availability of specialized services. rampant corruption at all levels enabled traffickers and undermined efforts to combat trafficking.

recommendations for the philippines: increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict an increased number of both labor and sex trafficking offenders implicated in the trafficking of filipinos within the country and abroad; address the significant backlog of trafficking cases by developing mechanisms to track and monitor the status of cases filed with the department of justice (doj) and those under trial in the courts; conduct immediate and rigorous investigations of complaints of trafficking complicity by government officials, and ensure accountability for leaders that fail to address trafficking-related corruption within their areas of jurisdiction; ensure the government's armed forces or paramilitary groups supported by the government do not recruit or use children; continue to strengthen anti-trafficking training for police recruits, front-line officers, and police investigators; increase the number of government officials whose duties are dedicated solely to anti-trafficking activities; continue and improve collaboration between victim service organizations and law enforcement authorities with regard to law enforcement operations; make efforts to expand the use of victim processing centers to additional localities to improve identification of adult victims and allow for victims to be processed and assisted in a safe environment after a rescue operation; examine 'off-loading' policies to ensure this practice does not interfere with individuals' freedom of movement; increase victim shelter resources and expand the government shelter system to assist a greater number of trafficking victims, including male victims of sex and labor trafficking; increase funding for the doj's witness protection program and facilitate the entry of trafficking victims into the program; increase efforts to identify trafficking victims in destination countries and to pursue criminal investigation and prosecution of their traffickers; and develop and implement programs aimed at reducing the demand for commercial sex acts, including child sex tourism.

prosecution.

the government continued to prosecute sex and labor trafficking offenders and to impose stringent sentences on convicted offenders, but it convicted fewer offenders than it did during the previous year. the philippines criminally prohibits sex and labor trafficking through its 2003 anti-trafficking in persons act, which prescribes penalties that are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as [CodeWord123]. in february 2013, the government enacted an amendment to its 2003 law that defined additional acts as constituting trafficking in persons and included provisions for the prosecution of attempted trafficking; the new law also provides for extraterritorial jurisdiction of trafficking crimes committed by filipino citizens or legal residents or against filipino citizens abroad. during the reporting period. 227 cases were filed with the doj for potential prosecution, but it is unknown how many cases were prosecuted. the government convicted 24 trafficking offenders, a decrease from the 29 traffickers convicted during the previous year; three convictions were for labor trafficking, a slight increase from the two labor trafficking convictions obtained during the previous year. an international ngo assisted the government with seven of the 19 cases that resulted in convictions. sentences for those convicted ranged from 17 years to life imprisonment, with the majority of offenders sentenced to life imprisonment. in one successful case, a sex trafficking conviction was obtained in the philippines for a local filipina recruiter, and iacat support was given to the court in malaysia that reportedly convicted her singaporean counterpart for [CodeWord908] violations in malaysia. the government's anti-money laundering law could be used to file a civil action requesting courts freeze and seize assets of suspected traffickers, but there were no reports that victims received this form of redress during the year. nonetheless, hundreds of victims continue to be trafficked each day in well-known, highly visible establishments, many of which have never been the target of anti-trafficking law enforcement action.

although the doj encouraged courts' expedited processing of trafficking cases based on a 2010 supreme court circular setting a six-month limit, inefficiencies in the judicial system posed serious challenges to the successful prosecution of some cases; government and ngo observers estimated the average length of trafficking cases to be between three-and-a-half and five years. the doj, which houses the iacat secretariat, is responsible for the prosecution of suspected offenders and protection of witnesses in trafficking cases and assigned 93 prosecutors to work on trafficking in persons cases, a significant increase from 58 in the previous year. nineteen of these prosecutors were with the iacat secretariat, while 74 were assigned to airport and regional taskforces. most of these prosecutors, however, were given this responsibility in addition to their regular workloads. the government continued to employ a taskforce model, in which prosecutors were assigned to assist law enforcement in building cases against suspected trafficking offenders; eight new taskforces were established during the year, bringing the total to 14. observers reported that constant collaboration between law enforcement officers and prosecutors led to more organized investigations during the reporting period.

the government continued strong efforts to provide anti-trafficking training to government officials: iacat independently conducted 90 training sessions for government and ngo stakeholders and 14 in cooperation with other partners, police trained 1, 616 officers working on women and children's desks, and ngos and foreign donors provided additional training to law enforcement officers. nonetheless, ngos continue to report a lack of understanding of trafficking and the country's anti-trafficking legal framework among many judges, prosecutors, social service workers, and law enforcement officials; low awareness and high rates of turnover among officials continue to pose a significant impediment to successful prosecutions. philippine officials cooperated with counterparts in other countries to rescue victims and pursue law enforcement action against suspected traffickers; two such cases led to convictions of recruiters in china and malaysia for labor and immigration infractions.

law enforcement officials' complicity in [CodeWord908] remained a problem in the philippines, and corruption at all levels of government enables traffickers to prosper. officials in government units and agencies assigned to enforce laws against [CodeWord908] reportedly permitted trafficking offenders to conduct illegal activities, allowed traffickers to escape during raids, extorted bribes, facilitated illegal departures for overseas workers, and accepted payments or sexual services from establishments known to traffic women and children. during the year, a judge was reported to have criminally mishandled trafficking cases, and a city prosecutor allegedly accepted a bribe to downgrade a [CodeWord908] charge to child abuse. there were ongoing allegations that police officers at times conducted indiscriminate or fake raids on commercial sex establishments to extort bribes from managers, clients, and female victims in the sex industry, sometimes threatening the victims with imprisonment.

during the year, the government took some steps to identify and prosecute officials complicit in [CodeWord908], and it dismissed officials who may have facilitated trafficking, though no public officials were criminally convicted for trafficking or trafficking-related corruption. two officials were charged under the anti-trafficking law for facilitating illegal departures of overseas workers, but these cases had not been concluded by the close of the reporting period. a philippine ambassador abroad, accused of sexual exploitation of a domestic worker, was investigated for possible trafficking; the ambassador was recalled and currently faces charges in the philippines for sexual harassment.

protection.

the government sustained its efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims during the year, but overall there were inadequate resources available to serve the large number of victims in the country. in 2012, the government allocated equivalent of approximately $615, 000 to the department of social welfare and development (dswd) to fund the recovery and reintegration program for trafficked persons. the government reported the majority of the 2, 569 victims assisted by dswd received skills training, shelter, medical services, and legal assistance under this program; an unknown number of these also received financial assistance to seek employment or start their own businesses. the dswd operated 42 temporary shelters for victims of all types of abuse, and iacat referred 135 trafficking victims to dswd for support through its residential and community-based services. facilities were generally inadequate to address the specific needs of trafficking victims, and at times, shelters lacked the space necessary to accommodate the influx of victims following large-scale law enforcement operations. specialized services for male victims were inadequate; this led to male victims, including children, being released from protective care prematurely and negatively affected their rehabilitation and reintegration. the government established a center for male victims, but at the close of the reporting year it was not yet fully operational. the lack of services was particularly detrimental to male victims of sex trafficking, a growing population in the philippines. the iacat operations center established a temporary shelter for witnesses and trafficking victims that was subsequently transferred to a local government agency; the shelter offered some social services and vocational opportunities to 15 victims during the year.

the government followed formal procedures to identify and assist victims and refer them to government or ngo facilities for short- and long-term care. numerous government agencies employed proactive identification measures; victims were identified through rescue operations, screening at departure points, embassies abroad, and calls to the national anti-trafficking help line. many police units had specialized facilities for processing women and child victims. due to overlapping and incomplete data collection systems across various agencies, reliable statistics for the total number of victims identified and assisted during the year were not available. government shelters did not detain adult victims against their will, though victims who chose to reside in shelters were not permitted to leave the premises unattended. the department of labor and employment (dole) led four operations rescuing 223 children and removed additional children from the worst forms of child labor, including forced labor and sex trafficking; as a result of these operations, four businesses alleged to be engaged in sex trafficking of minors were permanently closed. two children captured during fighting against armed groups were allegedly detained and charged with crimes. one child inadvertently recruited into a paramilitary entity under afp operational control was removed and referred to dswd. during the year, the government finalized the development of a monitoring and response system for grave child rights violations, including child soldiering. no foreign trafficking victims were identified during the year. iacat operated an anti-trafficking help line; during the year, the line received over 7, 000 calls leading to the identification of 133 trafficking victims. the government encouraged victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of their traffickers, but the serious lack of victim and witness protection programs, exacerbated by a lengthy trial process and fear of retaliation by traffickers, caused many victims to decline or withdraw cooperation. during the year, the iacat launched its operations center witness location program, which located 25 witnesses and victims willing to testify in cases, and assisted 88 witnesses attending hearings; doj increased the number of victims assisted by its witness protection program from 18 to 60, but the majority of victims did not have access to this form of protection. the dswd continued to hold trainings on victim identification and protection throughout the year. most local social welfare officers, however, remain inadequately trained on how to assist rescued trafficking victims, particularly children and victims of labor trafficking.

the dswd and the department of foreign affairs (dfa) coordinated with ngos in other countries to provide temporary shelter, counseling, and medical assistance to 1, 029 victims of trafficking and illegal recruitment identified abroad, and established 15 new multi-agency filipino workers' resource centers overseas to assist workers in 36 countries with 20, 000 or more filipino workers. dswd social workers were deployed to philippine diplomatic missions in malaysia and saudi arabia, where they assisted 2, 604 filipinos overseas. services to victims identified overseas included plane tickets, shipment of personal items, temporary shelter, counseling, and medical assistance.

prevention.

the government continued its robust efforts to prevent [CodeWord908] during the reporting period; numerous government agencies conducted seminars and training sessions for government officials and community members, and the government provided funding to two ngos to implement additional awareness campaigns. the iacat and other government taskforces involved in anti-trafficking activities continued to meet regularly to share information and coordinate policies, and the iacat partnered with the presidential taskforce against illegal recruitment to establish a joint operations center to respond to reported cases. the philippine overseas employment agency (poea) conducted 862 pre-employment orientation seminars for over 150, 000 prospective and outbound filipino overseas workers, and the commission on filipinos overseas (cfo) held targeted counseling programs for groups considered at-risk, including filipinos seeking overseas marriages or those migrating to europe to work as au pairs. the iacat conducted a two-day anti-trafficking awareness seminar for media professionals in a region known to be a center of trafficking, and the cfo partnered with a private radio and television broadcasting association to develop a short public service announcement that aired on numerous stations between april and june 2012. during the reporting year, poea investigated 9, 029 allegations of unlawful practices by recruitment agencies and filed two cases of trafficking. the government continued to operate its two overseas passenger assistance centers to distribute awareness materials and screen passengers for signs of trafficking in regions where seaports are known to be a departure point for victims. the immigration department continued its intensified efforts to screen for potential trafficking victims at airports and seaports; this aggressive effort to 'off-load' suspected victims for interviews—in essence blocking their travel from the philippines—raised concerns that filipinos' right to travel out of the country might be unduly restricted. there was a significant increase over the previous year in the number of potential victims identified through this method.

in january 2013, the government enacted the domestic workers act, which provides specific protections to domestic workers including mandatory daily and weekly rest periods and the prohibition of recruitment fees charged to workers by a private agency or third party. the government's amended law on migrant workers continued the ban on deployment of filipinos or 'de-certifications' to 14 countries or territories deemed to lack adequate legal protections for workers. afghanistan, chad, cuba, haiti, libya, mali, mauritania, nepal, niger, the democratic people's republic of korea, the palestinian territories, somalia, uzbekistan, and zimbabwe are designated as noncompliant by the dfa. during the year, the government issued resolutions certifying iraq, yemen, and eritrea, thereby allowing the flow of workers to these countries to resume. to decrease the vulnerability to trafficking of thousands of undocumented filipino workers in the malaysian state of sabah, the dfa sent a philippine consul from its embassy in kuala lumpur four times during the year to provide services to this population, including the provision of passports and other documents. the dfa provided anti-trafficking training to new overseas diplomats hired during the year, and the dole maintained 42 labor attaches in 36 diplomatic missions to assist overseas workers. the cfo, in cooperation with the iacat, launched a series of international toll-free help lines in 16 countries that forward calls to the philippines' national help line. in february 2013, the help line in the philippines implemented free text messaging capabilities, though this is not yet available for all mobile phone users. despite significant local demand in the country's thriving commercial sex trade, the government's efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts in the philippines were negligible. during the year, the government charged two child sex tourists under the anti-trafficking law and deported 15 foreign nationals for child sex crimes. the government provided training, including a module on [CodeWord908], to philippine troops prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping missions.

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editor's note: this report was originally written in all capital lettering and thus was edited to normal case text. writing in all capital lettering in the internet equivalent of shouting and is thus is prohibited on this forum.

in the future, please do not write reports in all capital lettering. thanks!

[Ekspat]

I think you will find that Fields is whats now called walking st, the pedestrianised part, basically between Atlantis and Mc Donalds near to McArthur highway, and the Club / Phillies etc is upper perimeter road, Pony Tails is mid perimeter road

You should have a look in any map of Balibago, and you'll find that Fields ends at the check-point and Perimeter Road (Don Juico) starts there. Even Google maps shows that and the address of Margerita Station is still Fields.

I meant Fields itself (now walking st) I won't name the two

I got that. But again, at least 6 bars are open at 3pm in this stretch, maybe even 7 or 8. Barfine prices I'm not sure.

Anyway, EOD, will be there soon and check it out.

[Wicked Roger]

Husband? I guess it worked!

I was with a petite and cute little thing at the mall once. I see an old git nearby with an equally petite and cute little thing. At some point the other girl comes up and talks to my girl. Later I ask what was up. Apparently, old git sent his girl over to see if my girl would like to join HIM. I was tempted to have words with the old git, but thought better of it. No reason to fight over sand while at the beach. X.

Thanks for the interesting post BD. X.

I do that sometimes but am not an old git XMan (no need to clarify either). See you in August.

BD. Nice report shows bar fines are still operating but as others have said it will operate under a different system.

MCobb. You claimed recently that someone's FR of a week ago was too old, yours are even older so what we read is up to date and even you could be a different person under your handle so don't tar some with a brush when you don't include yourself.

I know many of the posters and they are genuine and what they say about AC now should be taken as fact and fair.

[Western787]

"All I can say for sure Bob is we can only wait and see where the chips fall. For now, enjoy what we have and quit complaining about the small shit. Not all hotels and bars are the same. Right now most customers are happy and having a good time. It is business owners that have to worry not the customers."

[/I] "The entertainment area is under attack by the IJM, CIDG, NBI, BIR and City Hall and quite possibly higher ups in Manila who could be pressuring our Mayor. Right now I cannot predict the outcome of this latest campaign against the Clubs on Fields and along Perimeter Road; I can say it has a lot of people nervous"[/I]

I believed they had a "good time" on the Titanic too for a time after it hit the iceberg. That's not exactly a ringing endorsement by Harry the Horse.

[Western787]

60 year old lady boy with two dicks and three pussys

Outside Nana Hotel every single night, I seen that dude, botched surgeries I heard.

[Wicked Roger]

You cited Harry the Horse site. I visited there and went right to the most current July 2013 Newsletters. The most current posting from Harry is June 30 (not exactly up-to-date, as you yourself mentioned my own reporting was several weeks old). From Harry's most recent rant:

So, Harry sees things as changing, but as of June 30 he also sees the customers as having the same good time.

I posted the same thing Westie and read his web site at times. I also know of a good mate (ISG member) who had no issues bar fining recently. He left 2 days ago from AC. From a number of bars in AC. He won't post anything (details) as he thinks MCobb is really someone out trolling for information (another poster said the same thing) but he confirmed that nothing has changed and he is a regular visitor there.

Yes things evolve but generally the status quo is preserved in some way albeit in a slightly different form.

What is for sure is that things will change but biting the hand the feeds you is a somewhat risky strategy especially if the bar owners go elsewhere and pay some other group of people. As for Korean, have heard similar from a number of people who live there or are regular visitors (and know some bar owners). Seems the girls do not like the Koreans especially and are more concerned about events moving in that direction rather than the lack of bar fines etc.

[ThatGuy865]

As I see it Matt C has little to no credibility.

Just to logically think about what MC states as the situation. No bars on fields doing Bar Fines. Do you really think. That every forum including this one would be flooded with mongers stating this as fact. Saying how they wasted all that money flying to AC to find out no bars on fields were doing BF's. There would be an uproar of post. MC would not be the only one raising this issue. It would be many posts.

Could you imagine the flood of post if Thailand stopped BF's on Walking street. Do you think there would only be one guy spouting its demise.

No different for Fields.

Second. In the same meeting the Mayor to whom MC references also stated that the bar which were raided and closed would not re-open under any circumstances. Well most have re-opened. Candy bar, Viking, Camelot, and in all girls are going home with guys. So there goes so much for the Mayor keeping a hard stance on his edict.

There is no need to fact check. The mere fact the internet (this forum included) isn't flooded with this news speaks volumes.

I am not sure I even believe MC has been there as his report is pretty vague and general with no specifics. things which could easily been repeated from reading the forum. Especially stating his friends could speak fluent Tagalog And still could not get a girl to leave from any bar on Fields. The girls usually go ape shit over guys that speak Tagalog.

I really think his post have more to do with an agenda than giving out accurate information.