BY: RIZALIE A. CALIBO
SIQUIJOR, March 2
(PIA) — With Siquijor’s effort and great potential in the tourism
industry, the threat of child sex tourism should also be considered,
warned Atty. Julse G. Bacolod of the Children’s Legal Bureau in a Tourism
Awareness Seminar held recently at the Siquijor Sangguniang Panlalawigan
Session Hall.
Atty. Bacolod in his lecture on Child
Wise Tourism and Child Protection Laws said child sex tourism is a growing
business.
Records show an estimated 1.2
million single male tourist arrival every year in the Philippines.
“How many of those arrivals seek our
minors for sex is not known since it is a secret underground business
worth millions of dollars,” he said.
Thousands of European, North American,
and Australian sex tourists make the Philippines a destination and create a
demand for commercially-sexually exploited children (CSEC), he said.
He said that Cebu, Central Visayas’
premiere gateway and the prime tourist destination in the Philippines, is also
known to be one of the top five areas for child prostitution and sex tourism in
the country.
The Department of Tourism reported an
average tourist arrival growth rate of 8.64% in Central Visayas from 2008 to 2012
with Siquijor having the highest in terms of percentage.
Foreign arrivals average growth rate of
the same period was 11.26% while domestic arrivals was 7.15%, the report said.
In 2012, Cebu got the market share of
2,230,323 visitor arrivals; Bohol, 356,370; Negros Oriental, 307,980; and
Siquijor, 333,408.
From January to October 2013, Cebu’s
average growth rate was 9.35 % with 2,030,014 arrivals, Bohol, 4.98% with 321,
43; Negros Oriental, 45.43% with 374,907; and Siquijor, 0.96% with a volume of 28,678.
Central Visayas’ top tourism market in
2012 were Korea, Japan, USA, China, Australia, Taiwan, Germany, United Kingdom,
France, and Canada.
For Siquijor, the top five
nationalities that frequented the island in the same period were French, German,
American, British, and Australian.
Atty. Bacolod warned that child
trafficking and child sex tourism is a lucrative multi-billion dollar industry
that fuels avarice and corruption.
“Sex tourists are not just
holiday-makers but also others whose occupations take them to destinations away
from home, such as business people, transport industry workers and military
personnel," he said.
Americans comprise an estimated 25% of
all sex tourists, yet 38% of sex tourists in Cambodia and 80% of sex
tourists in Costa Rica are American, he said.
With this, the lawyer urged the local
government to help pursue efforts to protect the province from Child sex
tourism by strengthening advocacy on Child Protection Act or R.A. 7610 that
punishes child prostitution, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act or R.A.
9208, Anti-Child Pornography Law or R.A. 9775, and other laws .
Advocacy among the tourism sector, such as hotels, resorts, and
bar owners, is likewise encouraged. (rmn/RAC/PIA-Siquijor)