Source: ABS-CBN News
04/28/2013
MANILA -- Dakila, an artist collective organizing the Freedom Rides for a Human Trafficking Free Philippines, is urging the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to come up with a regional comprehensive approach to fight trafficking.
“We hope that the ASEAN Experts Working Group meeting here in the Philippines will come up with a more integrated, cohesive and structured mechanisms to report and monitor human trafficking in Southeast Asia,” said Ayeen Karunungan, spokesperson of the group.
Dakila launched its Stop Look Listen Campaign with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, cycling groups like Manila Fixed Gear, Bikers 101, NOBA and iFOLD, and several NGOs to help curb human trafficking in the country.
The Freedom Rides being held across the country gathers cyclists and advocates as Freedom Warriors promoting the 1343 Action Hotline on human trafficking.
The campaign kicked off last March 9 in Metro Manila with 1,000 cyclists including Ambassadors Ton Boon von Ochssee of the Embassy of the Netherlands, Josef Rychtar of the Czech Embassy and Guy Ledoux of the European Union, participating in the Freedom Ride.
Another Freedom Ride was held in Iloilo last April 20 and mobilized 500 participants – the biggest and broadest bike tour ever in Panay island.
“While we recognize that our government partners in this campaign – the Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking under the leadership of Secretary Leila de Lima and Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar, and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission led by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., have been pushing for stronger measures and initiating programs to help solve the problem of human trafficking in the Philippines, there is still a need for a more comprehensive action plan to address this regional problem,” Karunungan said.
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