“The authorities should show an honest campaign against prostitution. This may be the so-called oldest profession but this doesn’t mean that we should tolerate this and let our women become victims over and over again,” [Rep. Cinchona] Cruz-Gonzales said.  

Woman lawmakers yesterday urged the government to launch a genuine anti-prostitution campaign following a foreign news documentary depicting the Arroyo administration as tolerant of “sex tourism.”  

Citizens Battle Against Corruption Rep. Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales and Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan lamented the documentary made by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., which shows the growing number of teenage prostitutes and the widespread use of “sex tourism” as a lure to foreign visitors.

“The authorities should show an honest campaign against prostitution. This may be the so-called oldest profession but this doesn’t mean that we should tolerate this and let our women become victims over and over again,” Cruz-Gonzales said.  

Ilagan warned that sex tourism in the country will continue to thrive in the coming months due to widespread poverty.  

“The number will continue to increase as the economic crisis intensifies and as more and more girls drop out of school. Poverty in the rural areas will make more young girls vulnerable to sex trafficking,” she said. 

SOURCE:   THE DAILY TRIBUNE by Gerry Baldo, February 1, 2010   Monday