REPUBLIC ACT NO.

9208
May 26, 2003

AN ACT TO INSTITUTE POLICIES TO ELIMINATE TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS

ESPECIALLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN, ESTABLISHING THE NECESSARY
INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS FOR THE PROTECTION AND SUPPORT OF
TRAFFICKED PERSONS, PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR ITS VIOLATIONS, AND
FOR OTHER

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

Section 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the "Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003".

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby declared that the State values the dignity of every
human person and guarantees the respect of individual rights. In pursuit of this policy, the
State shall give highest priority to the enactment of measures and development of programs
that will promote human dignity, protect the people from any threat of violence and
exploitation, eliminate trafficking in persons, and mitigate pressures for involuntary
migration and servitude of persons, not only to support trafficked persons but more
importantly, to ensure their recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration into the mainstream of
society.

It shall be a State policy to recognize the equal rights and inherent human dignity of women
and men as enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights, United
Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations Convention on the Protection
of Migrant Workers and their Families. United Nations Convention Against Transnational
Organized Crime Including its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in
Persons, Especially Women and Children and all other relevant and universally accepted
human rights instruments and other international conventions to which the Philippines is a
signatory.

Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:

(a) Trafficking in Persons - refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer or harboring, or

receipt of persons with or without the victim's consent or knowledge, within or across
national borders by means of threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion, abduction,
fraud, deception, abuse of power or of position, taking advantage of the vulnerability of the
person, or, the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person
having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation which includes at a
minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation,
forced labor or services, slavery, servitude or the removal or sale of organs.

The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of a child for the purpose of
exploitation shall also be considered as "trafficking in persons" even if it does not involve
any of the means set forth in the preceding paragraph.

(b) Child - refers to a person below eighteen (18) years of age or one who is over eighteen
(18) but is unable to fully take care of or protect himself/herself from abuse, neglect, cruelty,
exploitation, or discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or condition.
(c) Prostitution - refers to any act, transaction, scheme or design involving the use of a person
by another, for sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct in exchange for money, profit or any
other consideration.

(d) Forced Labor and Slavery - refer to the extraction of work or services from any person by
means of enticement, violence, intimidation or threat, use of force or coercion, including
deprivation of freedom, abuse of authority or moral ascendancy, debt-bondage or deception.

(e) Sex Tourism - refers to a program organized by travel and tourism-related establishments
and individuals which consists of tourism packages or activities, utilizing and offering escort
and sexual services as enticement for tourists. This includes sexual services and practices
offered during rest and recreation periods for members of the military.

(f) Sexual Exploitation - refers to participation by a person in prostitution or the production of

pornographic materials as a result of being subjected to a threat, deception, coercion,
abduction, force, abuse of authority, debt bondage, fraud or through abuse of a victim's
vulnerability.

(g) Debt Bondage - refers to the pledging by the debtor of his/her personal services or labor
or those of a person under his/her control as security or payment for a debt, when the length
and nature of services is not clearly defined or when the value of the services as reasonably
assessed is not applied toward the liquidation of the debt.

(h) Pornography - refers to any representation, through publication, exhibition,

cinematography, indecent shows, information technology, or by whatever means, of a person
engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts
of a person for primarily sexual purposes.

(i) Council - shall mean the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking created under Sec. 20
of this Act.

Sec. 4. Acts of Trafficking in Persons. - It shall be unlawful for any person, natural or
juridical, to commit any of the following acts:

(a) To recruit, transport, transfer; harbor, provide, or receive a person by any means,
including those done under the pretext of domestic or overseas employment or training or
apprenticeship, for the purpose of prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced
labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;

(b) To introduce or match for money, profit, or material, economic or other consideration,
any person or, as provided for under Republic Act No. 6955, any Filipino woman to a foreign
national, for marriage for the purpose of acquiring, buying, offering, selling or trading
him/her to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery,
involuntary servitude or debt bondage;

(c) To offer or contract marriage, real or simulated, for the purpose of acquiring, buying,
offering, selling, or trading them to engage in prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation,
forced labor or slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;
(d) To undertake or organize tours and travel plans consisting of tourism packages or
activities for the purpose of utilizing and offering persons for prostitution, pornography or
sexual exploitation;

(e) To maintain or hire a person to engage in prostitution or pornography;

(f) To adopt or facilitate the adoption of persons for the purpose of prostitution, pornography,
sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;

(g) To recruit, hire, adopt, transport or abduct a person, by means of threat or use of force,
fraud, deceit, violence, coercion, or intimidation for the purpose of removal or sale of organs
of said person; and

(h) To recruit, transport or adopt a child to engage in armed activities in the Philippines or
abroad.

Sec. 5. Acts that Promote Trafficking in Persons. - The following acts which promote or
facilitate trafficking in persons, shall be unlawful:

(a) To knowingly lease or sublease, use or allow to be used any house, building or
establishment for the purpose of promoting trafficking in persons;

(b) To produce, print and issue or distribute unissued, tampered or fake counseling
certificates, registration stickers and certificates of any government agency which issues these
certificates and stickers as proof of compliance with government regulatory and pre-departure
requirements for the purpose of promoting trafficking in persons;

(c) To advertise, publish, print, broadcast or distribute, or cause the advertisement,

publication, printing, broadcasting or distribution by any means, including the use of
information technology and the internet, of any brochure, flyer, or any propaganda material
that promotes trafficking in persons;

(d) To assist in the conduct of misrepresentation or fraud for purposes of facilitating the
acquisition of clearances and necessary exit documents from government agencies that are
mandated to provide pre-departure registration and services for departing persons for the
purpose of promoting trafficking in persons;

(e) To facilitate, assist or help in the exit and entry of persons from/to the country at
international and local airports, territorial boundaries and seaports who are in possession of
unissued, tampered or fraudulent travel documents for the purpose of promoting trafficking in
persons;

(f) To confiscate, conceal, or destroy the passport, travel documents, or personal documents
or belongings of trafficked persons in furtherance of trafficking or to prevent them from
leaving the country or seeking redress from the government or appropriate agencies; and

(g) To knowingly benefit from, financial or otherwise, or make use of, the labor or services of
a person held to a condition of involuntary servitude, forced labor, or slavery.
Sec. 6. Qualified Trafficking in Persons. - The following are considered as qualified
trafficking:

(a) When the trafficked person is a child;

(b) When the adoption is effected through Republic Act No. 8043, otherwise known as the
"Inter-Country Adoption Act of 1995" and said adoption is for the purpose of prostitution,
pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt
bondage;

(c) When the crime is committed by a syndicate, or in large scale. Trafficking is deemed
committed by a syndicate if carried out by a group of three (3) or more persons conspiring or
confederating with one another. It is deemed committed in large scale if committed against
three (3) or more persons, individually or as a group;

(d) When the offender is an ascendant, parent, sibling, guardian or a person who exercises
authority over the trafficked person or when the offense is committed by a public officer or
employee;

(e) When the trafficked person is recruited to engage in prostitution with any member of the
military or law enforcement agencies;

(f) When the offender is a member of the military or law enforcement agencies; and

(g) When by reason or on occasion of the act of trafficking in persons, the offended party
dies, becomes insane, suffers mutilation or is afflicted with Human Immunodeficiency Virus
(HIV) or the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Sec. 6. Confidentiality. - At any stage of the investigation, prosecution and trial of an offense
under this Act, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, court personnel and medical
practitioners, as well as parties to the case, shall recognize the right to privacy of the
trafficked person and the accused. Towards this end, law enforcement officers, prosecutors
and judges to whom the complaint has been referred may, whenever necessary to ensure a
fair and impartial proceeding, and after considering all circumstances for the best interest of
the parties, order a closed-door investigation, prosecution or trial. The name and personal
circumstances of the trafficked person or of the accused, or any other information tending to
establish their identities and such circumstances or information shall not be disclosed to the
public.

In cases when prosecution or trial is conducted behind closed-doors, it shall be unlawful for
any editor, publisher, and reporter or columnist in case of printed materials, announcer or
producer in case of television and radio, producer and director of a film in case of the movie
industry, or any person utilizing tri-media facilities or information technology to cause
publicity of any case of trafficking in persons.

Sec. 8. Prosecution of Cases. - Any person who has personal knowledge of the commission
of any offense under this Act, the trafficked person, the parents, spouse, siblings, children or
legal guardian may file a complaint for trafficking.
Sec. 9. Venue. - A criminal action arising from violation of this Act shall be filed where the
offense was committed, or where any of its elements occurred, or where the trafficked person
actually resides at the time of the commission of the offense: Provided, That the court where
the criminal action is first filed shall acquire jurisdiction to the exclusion of other courts.

Sec. 10. Penalties and Sanctions. - The following penalties and sanctions are hereby
established for the offenses enumerated in this Act:

(a) Any person found guilty of committing any of the acts enumerated in Sec. 4 shall suffer
the penalty of imprisonment of twenty (20) years and a fine of not less than One million
pesos (P1,000,000.00) but not more than Two million pesos (P2,000,000.00);

(b) Any person found guilty of committing any of the acts enumerated in Sec. 5 shall suffer
the penalty of imprisonment of fifteen (15) years and a fine of not less than Five hundred
thousand pesos (P500,000.00) but not more than One million pesos (P1,000,000.00);

(c) Any person found guilty of qualified trafficking under Sec. 6 shall suffer the penalty of
life imprisonment and a fine of not less than Two million pesos (P2,000,000.00) but not more
than Five million pesos (P5,000,000.00);

(d) Any person who violates Sec. 7 hereof shall suffer the penalty of imprisonment of six (6)
years and a fine of not less than Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00) but not more
than One million pesos (P1,000,000.00);

(e) If the offender is a corporation, partnership, association, club, establishment or any

juridical person, the penalty shall be imposed upon the owner, president, partner, manager,
and/or any responsible officer who participated in the commission of the crime or who shall
have knowingly permitted or failed to prevent its commission;

(f) The registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and license to
operate of the erring agency, corporation, association, religious group, tour or travel agent,
club or establishment, or any place of entertainment shall be cancelled and revoked
permanently. The owner, president, partner or manager thereof shall not be allowed to
operate similar establishments in a different name;

(g) If the offender is a foreigner, he shall be immediately deported after serving his sentence
and be barred permanently from entering the country;

(h) Any employee or official of government agencies who shall issue or approve the issuance
of travel exit clearances, passports, registration certificates, counseling certificates, marriage
license, and other similar documents to persons, whether juridical or natural, recruitment
agencies, establishments or other individuals or groups, who fail to observe the prescribed
procedures and the requirement as provided for by laws, rules and regulations, shall be held
administratively liable, without prejudice to criminal liability under this Act. The concerned
government official or employee shall, upon conviction, be dismissed from the service and be
barred permanently to hold public office. His/her retirement and other benefits shall likewise
be forfeited; and

(i) Conviction by final judgment of the adopter for any offense under this Act shall result in
the immediate rescission of the decree of adoption.
Sec. 11. Use of Trafficked Persons. - Any person who buys or engages the services of
trafficked persons for prostitution shall be penalized as follows:

(a) First offense - six (6) months of community service as may be determined by the court
and a fine of Fifty thousand pesos (P50,000.00); and

(b) Second and subsequent offenses - imprisonment of one (1) year and a fine of One hundred
thousand pesos (P100,000.00).

Sec. 12. Prescriptive Period. - Trafficking cases under this Act shall prescribe in ten (10)
years: Provided, however, That trafficking cases committed by a syndicate or in a large scale
as defined under Sec. 6 shall prescribe in twenty (20) years.

The prescriptive period shall commence to run from the day on which the trafficked person is
delivered or released from the conditions of bondage and shall be interrupted by the filing of
the complaint or information and shall commence to run again when such proceedings
terminate without the accused being convicted or acquitted or are unjustifiably stopped for
any reason not imputable to the accused.

Sec. 13. Exemption from Filing Fees. - When the trafficked person institutes a separate civil
action for the recovery of civil damages, he/she shall be exempt from the payment of filing
fees.

Sec. 14. Confiscation and Forfeiture of the Proceeds and Instruments Derived from
Trafficking in Persons. - In addition to the penalty imposed for the violation of this Act, the
court shall order the confiscation and forfeiture, in favor of the government, of all the
proceeds and properties derived from the commission of the crime, unless they are the
property of a third person not liable for the unlawful act; Provided, however, That all awards
for damages shall be taken from the personal and separate properties of the offender;
Provided, further, That if such properties are insufficient, the balance shall be taken from the
confiscated and forfeited properties.

When the proceeds, properties and instruments of the offense have been destroyed,
diminished in value or otherwise rendered worthless by any act or omission, directly or
indirectly, of the offender, or it has been concealed, removed, converted or transferred to
prevent the same from being found or to avoid forfeiture or confiscation, the offender shall be
ordered to pay the amount equal to the value of the proceeds, property or instruments of the
offense.

Sec. 15. Trust Fund. - All fines imposed under this Act and the proceeds and properties
forfeited and confiscated pursuant to Sec. 14 hereof shall accrue to a Trust Fund to be
administered and managed by the Council to be used exclusively for programs that will
prevent acts of trafficking and protect, rehabilitate, reintegrate trafficked persons into the
mainstream of society. Such programs shall include, but not limited to, the following:

(a) Provision for mandatory services set forth in Sec. 23 of this Act;

(b) Sponsorship of a national research program on trafficking and establishment of a data

collection system for monitoring and evaluation purposes;
(c) Provision of necessary technical and material support services to appropriate government
agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs);

(d) Sponsorship of conferences and seminars to provide venue for consensus building
amongst the public, the academe, government, NGOs and international organizations; and

(e) Promotion of information and education campaign on trafficking.

Sec. 16. Programs that Address Trafficking in Persons. - The government shall establish and
implement preventive, protective and rehabilitative programs for trafficked persons. For this
purpose, the following agencies are hereby mandated to implement the following programs;

(a) Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) - shall make available its resources and facilities
overseas for trafficked persons regardless of their manner of entry to the receiving country,
and explore means to further enhance its assistance in eliminating trafficking activities
through closer networking with government agencies in the country and overseas, particularly
in the formulation of policies and implementation of relevant programs.

The DFA shall take necessary measures for the efficient implementation of the Machine
Readable Passports to protect the integrity of Philippine passports, visas and other travel
documents to reduce the incidence of trafficking through the use of fraudulent identification
documents.

It shall establish and implement a pre-marriage, on-site and pre-departure counseling program
on intermarriages.

(b) Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) - shall implement rehabilitative
and protective programs for trafficked persons. It shall provide counseling and temporary
shelter to trafficked persons and develop a system for accreditation among NGOs for
purposes of establishing centers and programs for intervention in various levels of the
community.

(c) Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) - shall ensure the strict implementation
and compliance with the rules and guidelines relative to the employment of persons locally
and overseas. It shall likewise monitor, document and report cases of trafficking in persons
involving employers and labor recruiters.

(d) Department of Justice (DOJ) - shall ensure the prosecution of persons accused of
trafficking and designate and train special prosecutors who shall handle and prosecute cases
of trafficking. It shall also establish a mechanism for free legal assistance for trafficked
persons, in coordination with the DSWD, Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and other
NGOs and volunteer groups.

(e) National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) - shall actively
participate and coordinate in the formulation and monitoring of policies addressing the issue
of trafficking in persons in coordination with relevant government agencies. It shall likewise
advocate for the inclusion of the issue of trafficking in persons in both its local and
international advocacy for women's issues.
(f) Bureau of Immigration (BI) - shall strictly administer and enforce immigration and alien
administration laws. It shall adopt measures for the apprehension of suspected traffickers
both at the place of arrival and departure and shall ensure compliance by the Filipino
fiancés/fiancées and spouses of foreign nationals with the guidance and counseling
requirement as provided for in this Act.

(g) Philippine National Police (PNP) - shall be the primary law enforcement agency to
undertake surveillance, investigation and arrest of individuals or persons suspected to be
engaged in trafficking. It shall closely coordinate with various law enforcement agencies to
secure concerted efforts for effective investigation and apprehension of suspected traffickers.
It shall also establish a system to receive complaints and calls to assist trafficked persons and
conduct rescue operations.

(h) Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) - shall implement an effective

pre-employment orientation seminars and pre-departure counseling programs to applicants
for overseas employment. It shall likewise formulate a system of providing free legal
assistance to trafficked persons.

(i) Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) - shall institute a systematic
information and prevention campaign and likewise maintain a databank for the effective
monitoring, documentation and prosecution of cases on trafficking in persons.

(j) Local government units (LGUs) - shall monitor and document cases of trafficking in
persons in their areas of jurisdiction, effect the cancellation of licenses of establishments
which violate the provisions of this Act and ensure effective prosecution of such cases. They
shall also undertake an information campaign against trafficking in persons through the
establishment of the Migrants Advisory and Information Network (MAIN) desks in
municipalities or provinces in coordination with DILG, Philippine Information Agency
(PIA), Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO), NGOs and other concerned agencies. They
shall encourage and support community based initiatives which address the trafficking in
persons.

In implementing this Act, the agencies concerned may seek and enlist the assistance of
NGOs, people's organizations (Pos), civic organizations and other volunteer groups.

Sec. 17. Legal Protection to Trafficked Persons. - Trafficked persons shall be recognized as
victims of the act or acts of trafficking and as such shall not be penalized for crimes directly
related to the acts of trafficking enumerated in this Act or in obedience to the order made by
the trafficker in relation thereto. In this regard, the consent of a trafficked person to the
intended exploitation set forth in this Act shall be irrelevant.

Sec. 18. Preferential Entitlement Under the Witness Protection Program. - Any provision of
Republic Act No. 6981 to the contrary notwithstanding, any trafficked person shall be
entitled to the witness protection program provided therein.

Sec. 19. Trafficked Persons Who are Foreign Nationals. - Subject to the guidelines issued by
the Council, trafficked persons in the Philippines who are nationals of a foreign country shall
also be entitled to appropriate protection, assistance and services available to trafficked
persons under this Act: Provided, That they shall be permitted continued presence in the
Philippines for a length of time prescribed by the Council as necessary to effect the
prosecution of offenders.

Sec. 20. Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking. - There is hereby established an Inter-
Agency Council Against Trafficking, to be composed of the Secretary of the Department of
Justice as Chairperson and the Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and
Development as Co-Chairperson and shall have the following as members:

(a) Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs;

(b) Secretary, Department of Labor and Employment;

(c) Administrator, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration;

(d) Commissioner, Bureau of Immigration;

(e) Director-General, Philippine National Police;

(f) Chairperson, National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women; and

(g) Three (3) representatives from NGOs, who shall be composed of one (1) representative
each from among the sectors representing women, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and
children, with a proven record of involvement in the prevention and suppression of
trafficking in persons. These representatives shall be nominated by the government agency
representatives of the Council, for appointment by the President for a term of three (3) years.

The members of the Council may designate their permanent representatives who shall have a
rank not lower than an assistant secretary or its equivalent to meetings, and shall receive
emoluments as may be determined by the Council in accordance with existing budget and
accounting, rules and regulations.

Sec. 21. Functions of the Council. - The Council shall have the following powers and
functions:

(a) Formulate a comprehensive and integrated program to prevent and suppress the
trafficking in persons;

(b) Promulgate rules and regulations as may be necessary for the effective implementation of
this Act;

(c) Monitor and oversee the strict implementation of this Act;

(d) Coordinate the programs and projects of the various member agencies to effectively
address the issues and problems attendant to trafficking in persons;

(e) Coordinate the conduct of massive information dissemination and campaign on the
existence of the law and the various issues and problems attendant to trafficking through the
LGUs, concerned agencies, and NGOs;
(f) Direct other agencies to immediately respond to the problems brought to their attention
and report to the Council on action taken;

(g) Assist in filing of cases against individuals, agencies, institutions or establishments that
violate the provisions of this Act;

(h) Formulate a program for the reintegration of trafficked persons in cooperation with
DOLE, DSWD, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA),
Commission on Higher Education (CHED), LGUs and NGOs;

(i) Secure from any department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the government
or from NGOs and other civic organizations such assistance as may be needed to effectively
implement this Act;

(j) Complement the shared government information system for migration established under
Republic Act No. 8042, otherwise known as the "Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos
Act of 1995" with data on cases of trafficking in persons, and ensure that the proper agencies
conduct a continuing research and study on the patterns and scheme of trafficking in persons
which shall form the basis for policy formulation and program direction;

(k) Develop the mechanism to ensure the timely, coordinated, and effective response to cases
of trafficking in persons;

(l) Recommend measures to enhance cooperative efforts and mutual assistance among
foreign countries through bilateral and/or multilateral arrangements to prevent and suppress
international trafficking in persons;

(m) Coordinate with the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC),

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and other NGOs in monitoring the promotion of
advertisement of trafficking in the internet;

(n) Adopt measures and policies to protect the rights and needs of trafficked persons who are
foreign nationals in the Philippines;

(o) Initiate training programs in identifying and providing the necessary intervention or
assistance to trafficked persons; and

(p) Exercise all the powers and perform such other functions necessary to attain the purposes
and objectives of this Act.

Sec. 22. Secretariat to the Council. - The Department of Justice shall establish the necessary
Secretariat for the Council.

Sec. 23. Mandatory Services to Trafficked Persons. - To ensure recovery, rehabilitation and
reintegration into the mainstream of society, concerned government agencies shall make
available the following services to trafficked persons:

(a) Emergency shelter or appropriate housing;

(b) Counseling;
(c) Free legal services which shall include information about the victims' rights and the
procedure for filing complaints, claiming compensation and such other legal remedies
available to them, in a language understood by the trafficked person;

(d) Medical or psychological services;

(e) Livelihood and skills training; and

(f) Educational assistance to a trafficked child.

Sustained supervision and follow through mechanism that will track the progress of recovery,
rehabilitation and reintegration of the trafficked persons shall be adopted and carried out.

Sec. 24. Other Services for Trafficked Persons. -

(a) Legal Assistance. - Trafficked persons shall be considered under the category "Overseas
Filipino in Distress" and may avail of the legal assistance created by Republic Act No. 8042,
subject to the guidelines as provided by law.

(b) Overseas Filipino Resource Centers. - The services available to overseas Filipinos as
provided for by Republic Act No. 8042 shall also be extended to trafficked persons regardless
of their immigration status in the host country.

(c) The Country Team Approach. - The country team approach under Executive Order No. 74
of 1993, shall be the operational scheme under which Philippine embassies abroad shall
provide protection to trafficked persons insofar as the promotion of their welfare, dignity and
fundamental rights are concerned.

Section 25. Repatriation of Trafficked Persons. - The DFA, in coordination with DOLE and
other appropriate agencies, shall have the primary responsibility for the repatriation of
trafficked persons, regardless of whether they are documented or undocumented.

If, however, the repatriation of the trafficked persons shall expose the victims to greater risks,
the DFA shall make representation with the host government for the extension of appropriate
residency permits and protection, as may be legally permissible in the host country.

Sec. 26. Extradition. - The DOJ, in consultation with DFA, shall endeavor to include offenses
of trafficking in persons among extraditable offenses.

Sec. 27. Reporting Requirements. - The Council shall submit to the President of the
Philippines and to Congress an annual report of the policies, programs and activities relative
to the implementation of this Act.

Sec. 28. Funding. - The heads of the departments and agencies concerned shall immediately
include in their programs and issue such rules and regulations to implement the provisions of
this Act, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

Sec. 29. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Council shall promulgate the necessary
implementing rules and regulations within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act.
Sec. 30. Non-restriction of Freedom of Speech and of Association, Religion and the Right to
Travel. - Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted as a restriction of the freedom of speech and
of association, religion and the right to travel for purposes not contrary to law as guaranteed
by the Constitution.

Sec. 31. Separability Clause. - If, for any reason, any section or provision of this Act is held
unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions hereof shall not be affected
thereby.

Sec. 32. Repealing clause. - All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders and rules and
regulations, or parts thereof, inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed
or modified accordingly: Provided, That this Act shall not in any way amend or repeal the
provision of Republic Act No. 7610, otherwise known as the "Special Protection of Children
Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act".

Sec. 33. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from the date of its complete
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved: May 26, 2003.

GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President of the Philippines