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Critical Conviction In Manila: Former Police Officer Sentenced To Life In Prison For Trafficking
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Friday, 30 October 2009

MANILA, the Philippines – On September 29, 2009, two child sex traffickers were sentenced to life imprisonment by a regional court for their crimes. This critical prosecution is all the more significant because one of the two perpetrators is the first Philippine police officer to be charged with a trafficking offense. Former police officer Dennis A. Reci and associate Felicano Manansala faced charges of qualified human trafficking, the gravest offense under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.

Traffickers may attempt to take advantage of children, believing that they are more powerful than vulnerable minors. But in the Philippines, minors do not stand alone. They are protected by our laws, police and NGOs.
— Carmela Andal-Castro
IJM Manila Director
While working as a police officer, Reci had owned and operated a bar which he and Manansala utilized as a front for child prostitution. Undercover operatives of International Justice Mission Manila discovered the operation in May 2005, reported it to the Philippine National Police and assisted throughout the subsequent weeks of investigation.

IJM Manila’s perseverance paid off with Reci and Manansala’s arrest on May 31, 2005. Two minors were rescued from the brothel and placed in aftercare facilities.

“Traffickers may attempt to take advantage of children, believing that they are more powerful than vulnerable minors. But in the Philippines, minors do not stand alone. They are protected by our laws, police and NGOs. It is a privilege for IJM to once again play a role in the successful prosecution of an anti-trafficking case with the Department of Justice and law enforcement,” said International Justice Mission Manila Director Carmela Andal-Castro.

Reci and Manansala’s cases are also significant as the second and third 2009 convictions under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in the Philippines.

“[These convictions] should serve as a warning to all human traffickers that the government is committed to bringing to justice all those who take advantage of our women and children, no matter who they are,” said Ricardo R. Blancaflor, chairman of the Philippine’s Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking. “A few years back, this conviction would have been impossible; however, with ... the cooperation of the different government agencies and non-government organizations, anything is now possible,” he added.

“The successful prosecution is an affirmation of how close collaboration between government and the NGO sector can be very effective in combating violations of human rights,” said IJM Manila Director Andal-Castro. IJM Manila has a strong record of pursuing perpetrator accountability, and has partnered with the local government in securing the arrest of more than 100 suspected traffickers since it began operations in the city.

 
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