Gov. Gwen Garcia gave the assurance that the Provincial Government will extend P10,000 in financial assistance to each of the 16 Cebuanos fishermen who were among those rescued by authorities from human trafficking in Sulu Province in Mindanao last Sept. 19.
The governor made the assurance during her interview with Ben Tulfo, host of Bitag Live, a TV program that documents and provides hard-hitting analysis on trending socio-political issues, on Monday, Sept. 25.
These Cebuanos were among the 123 victims of human trafficking recently rescued by the Philippine Navy in Tubalubac Island, Pangutaran town in Sulu.
Gov. Garcia already directed the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office to provide much needed assistance to the victims who are now back in Cebu, according to a Bitag staff in an inquiry made by Sugbo News.
Tulfo’s Bitag program has been documenting the rescue of these victims.
Based on reports, some of those rescued actually consisted of whole families with children who were forced to work in one of the islands in Sulu.
The victims, who mostly came from Cebu and Bohol provinces, were reportedly enticed by their recruiters in going to Sulu with promises of finding jobs in either Malaysia or Indonesia by sneaking them to these countries through the Philippines’ southern backdoor.
Instead, they ended up doing hard labor in Tubalubac Island, heavily guarded by armed handlers, the military said.
The reports further noted that many families on an island in Pangutaran were made to do slave work and were forced to do spearfishing and other similar activities with unjust compensation.
The assistance from the Capitol is expected to help the victims get back on their normal life here in Cebu. | Carlo Lorenciana
