24/06/2026
𝗜𝗔𝗖𝗔𝗧 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘀
The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) leads the conduct of the Socialization of the Operational Guidelines for the Referral of Cases Involving Trafficked Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos for Regional Inter-Agency Councils Against Trafficking (RIACATs) in Luzon held on 9-10 June 2026 in Clark, Pampanga.
The activity was jointly organized by the IACAT, the Department of Migrant Workers(DMW), the Blas Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, AWO International Southeast Asia and the ASEAN-Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT) program. It brought together representatives from RIACATs across Luzon, DMW, the NAIA Task Force Against Trafficking, the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone Task Force Against Trafficking, and partner organizations to strengthen referral pathways and coordination mechanisms for cases involving trafficked migrant workers and overseas Filipinos.
Last 09 March 2026 the Council approved the Enhanced National Referral Mechanism for Trafficking in Persons Cases which serves as the country's framework for the reporting, referral, protection, recovery, and reintegration of trafficked persons.
As part of the program, Atty. Immaculate Marie L. Adzuara of the IACAT Secretariat provided an overview of the Enhanced National Referral Mechanism. She discussed the standardized procedures for identifying, referring, and assisting trafficked persons, emphasizing the roles and responsibilities of government agencies and stakeholders from the first point of contact through recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
On the second day of the activity, Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Leah C. Wahab-Castañeda served as resource speaker for the session on the investigation and institution of actions in trafficking in persons cases. Drawing from her extensive prosecutorial experience, she discussed the legal and procedural requirements in building trafficking cases, underscored the importance of strong inter-agency coordination in evidence gathering and case build-up, and shared practical insights on addressing challenges encountered in trafficking investigations and
prosecutions.
A key feature of the activity was the introduction of the Unified Information Sheet(UIS), a standardized tool designed to facilitate information-sharing and case referrals among concerned agencies. The UIS enables the systematic documentation of a trafficked person's circumstances, assistance needs, and case information,helping streamline referrals, strengthen inter-agency coordination, and minimize the need for multiple interviews that may contribute to retraumatization. Participants also took part in workshop sessions to review and familiarize themselves with the use of the tool in actual case management and referral processes.
Through this initiative, the IACAT reaffirms its commitment to a whole-of-nation approach to combatting trafficking and protecting vulnerable sectors by strengthening referral and protection mechanisms for trafficked persons and enhancing the capacities of frontline responders and RIACAT member agencies in providing timely, coordinated, and victim-centered assistance to trafficked migrant workers and overseas Filipinos.
