DAVAO CITY, May 7 (PIA) – The anti-trafficking advocacy campaign will soon reach the television monitors of taxi cabs in Davao City as part of the heightened crusade against trafficking in persons (TIP) in the region.
A one-minute video infomercial on anti-TIP is expected to be viewed from the TV screens of 500 taxi units of the Maligaya Taxi Company that agreed to take on the campaign for six months starting June up to December this year.
Assistant Regional Prosecutor Barbara Mae Flores bared this in a quarterly meeting of the Regional Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (RIACAT) Region XI Network Advocacy Cluster yesterday (May 6) at the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office.
She said the IACAT Network has urged taxi companies in Davao City that have TV monitors in their taxi units to participate in and support the advocacy efforts in preventing and curbing human trafficking incidents in the region.
The Maligaya Taxi Company was the first to respond to the network’s call, said Flores who represented RIACAT-XI vice-chair and Regional Prosecutor Antonio Arellano of the Department of Justice.
She added that the firm requested for a different infomercial every month which would mean that there will be six infomercials to be produced.
The Mabuhay Taxi, on the other hand, has initially provided a positive feedback of agreeing for the RIACAT network to post 200 stickers in their taxi units, Flores disclosed, adding that other taxi companies have to be heard yet of their response.
The playing of video infomercial in taxi TV screens and posting stickers are part of the massive postering campaign spearheaded by the RIACAT-XI network advocacy cluster this year.
Flores said major malls in the city have also been requested to carry on the campaign by allowing posting of anti-TIP materials in their building premises.
She cited Abreeza Mall that has initially agreed for the mounting of posters inside the mall premises for one month and Gaisano Mall will permit two billboards outside its building and posters inside the mall.
She said they still have to ask Abreeza Mall to extend the period of posting, and that details of the endeavor are yet to be finalized.
The anti-TIP advocacy drive will also make a way into private and public schools as the Department of Education (DepEd) in the region committed to request school heads and owners to support the campaign.
Flores said the Davao City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO), another member agency of RIACAT-XI network, will take care of discussing possible partnership with van and bus operators to also help in the efforts of addressing TIP.
She also suggested that instead of coming up with new and unified information, education and communication (IEC) materials, the advocacy cluster should collate all available anti-TIP materials from different government agencies and non-government organizations for public posting and dissemination.
The RIACAT-XI network advocacy cluster, chaired by DILG-XI, is poised to beef-up the information and advocacy campaign in the region by implementing several programs this year.
Aside from the massive postering campaign, other activities were also lined-up such as the conduct of a trainers’ training on Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-TIP Act, popularization activities of the laws, and barangay hall infomercials.
The campaign has also penetrated the social media through the recently created facebook account called “Iacat Onse.”
Regional Prosecutor Arellano has emphasized that prevention aspect of human trafficking is not only the advocacy cluster’s responsibility, “but it’s everyone’s concern.”
He raised the importance for the campaign to reach out up to the grassroots level. (PIA-XI/Carina L. Cayon)
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