“The sexual abuse and exploitation of
children is one of the most vicious crimes conceivable, a violation of mankind’s
most basic duty to protect the innocent.” Jennifer Weiner
By Alex P. Vidal
IF authorities are hell-bent in curving the incidents of “survival sex”
(the term coined by West Visayas State University professor, Ma. Rosario
Victoria E. De Guzman) involving teenage students, they must also throw the
books on campus security guards and taxi drivers who serve as pimps.
Drive-in motels that don’t restrict female and male minors from
checking-in with adult female and male sex patrons should also be penalized.
Some of those who enter the drive-in motels wear high school uniforms, so
it’s not difficult to discern if they are minors or not.
Most students who sell their bodies for tuition and to earn extra income
for their vices and other private wants and needs can’t attract customers within
the parameters of campuses without the connivance of some security guards and
taxi drivers.
By acting as part-time pimps, they reportedly get a share of at least 10
to 15 percent.
Some of them also maintain contact numbers of prostituted students in
their wallets or in their mobile phones.
In some cases, security guards and taxi drivers enter into an unholy
alliance to act as conduits of this illicit transaction.
TIPS
Cab drivers who pick up the students sometimes can earn extra “tips” from
both the prostituted students and their clients.
So rampant is “survival sex” in our society nowadays that it has become a
cottage industry.
In every transaction, legal or illegal, moral or immoral, it always takes
two to tango.
There is more than meets the eye in this issue. If minors are involved in
prostitution, their parents are not blameless.
They should also be held accountable under the law.
Exposure or being subjected to sexual exploitation and violence are
punishable under Republic Act 9262 or an act defining violence against women
and their children providing for protective measures for victims, prescribing
penalties therefore, and for other purposes.
Authorities should not only focus on cases of minor students.
There are also out-of-school minors forced to commit prostitution by
their own parents or guardians and by unalloyed circumstances like poverty and
psychological factors.
When the City Council committee on women and children chaired by
Councilor Liecel Zulueta hold a serious hearing on this issue, it must compel
representatives of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and
the Iloilo City Police Office Women and Children Protection Desk to submit
detailed reports on cases of sexual abuse or prostitution involving minors and
what have they done to minimize if not stop it.
-o0o-
BUT, ARE WE READY TO HOST A CRUISE SHIP? According to Department of
Tourism (DOT) Director Helen C. Catalbas her office is promoting the northern
Iloilo port; Iloilo port in Loboc, Lapuz district, Iloilo City; Guimaras port,
Bredco port in Bacolod City; and San Carlos City port as possible destinations
of cruise ships from all over the world.
While we laud Catalbas’ efforts, we are also worried that our local ports
may not be physically and economically prepared to host giant cruise ships
coming from major tourist spots all over the world.
Another concern is peace and order and transportation.
Local authorities led by the Philippine National Police must ensure first
that tourists from other parts of the globe are safe once their cruise ships
happen to dock in our ports and they want to tarry offshore.
We may not want to see the tourists being hauled off to and from the port
by trisikads (pedicabs), tricycles and taxis due to lack of buses and other decent and
safe transport facilities, unless we are courting international embarrassment.
Catalabas is part of the Philippine delegation in the Cruise-Shipping
Convention and Exhibition in Miami, Florida from March 16-19.
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