MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines maintained its Tier 1 status in the US State Department’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for the 11th consecutive year, underscoring the Philippine government’s commitment to combat human trafficking.
This was announced by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for Peace and Order Nestor B. Sanares, the Philippines’ Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) Leader, during a press briefing held in Makati City on Monday.
“This milestone underscores the continuing commitment of the Philippine government, through the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and its member agencies, to strengthen prevention, victim protection, prosecution and partnership,” Sanares said.
The Tier 1 ranking indicates that the Philippines meets the minimum standards in combating TIP.
The DILG official noted that the 2026 TIP report attributed the mandatory nationwide implementation of a Victim Identification System, an enhanced National Referral Mechanism, expanded IACAT prosecutorial task forces, and the launch of the IACAT ProtectPortal.
As the Philippines leads preparations for the 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC), the country also continues to advance regional cooperation against transnational crimes, including human trafficking.
On Monday, various preparatory SOMTC meetings were conducted, bringing together SOMTC leaders from all ASEAN Member States, senior officials from China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), and members of the respective delegations.
“As host, the Philippines wants results that people can feel: stronger cooperation among our authorities, and better protection for our people against increasingly complex criminal threats,” Sanares emphasized.
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