Dasmari±as city: The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) is set to roll out Tuesday its 'Barangay IACAT' initiative in Dasmari±as City, Cavite, aiming to strengthen the fight against human trafficking.

According to Philippines News Agency, data from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Task Force Against Trafficking (NAIATFAT) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) indicate that Dasmari±as City has been identified as a significant source area for victims of labor trafficking, illegal recruitment, and scam hub exploitation. The council highlighted that a large portion of repatriated victims in recent months have been traced back to barangays within the city.

The IACAT elaborated that due to Dasmari±as City's rapidly growing population of overseas job seekers and its proximity to Metro Manila, it serves as a critical intervention point for community-based anti-trafficking efforts. The council emphasized the importance of strengthening the knowledge and vigilance of barangay officials, local law enforcement, frontline service providers, and residents to prevent trafficking schemes before recruitment or victimization occurs.

The council also addressed the alarming rise of scam hub operations across Southeast Asia, which has emerged as one of the most significant and urgent forms of modern human trafficking. As highlighted in the 2024 United States Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, thousands of Filipinos have been deceived into online scamming operations in Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, and other parts of the Mekong Region. Many are recruited under the guise of legitimate overseas employment, only to face forced labor, coercion, and inhumane working and living conditions.