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Monday, February 11, 2008

Sex in the Philippines

With the growing popularity of Philippine tourism, it has proven to be helpful to sex workers in the country. There are at least 100, 000 women in the country, both young and a bit older trying their luck to have a fair share of income in the tourism industry of the Philippines. In the country (Philippines) sex is priced more or less at Php 2,500 an hour. Not really bad considering the minimum wage is too less! Who does not want to earn this amount in an hour anyway? It is more wage than the salary of some CEO's!


You might be thinking how this can happen in a purely Christianized country. And yes, you are again assured that this is one of the Filipino hypocrisies. I have a lot of evidence to show how Pinoys try to be blind and deaf on the happenings around them. There are laws against this, against that but these laws are never working nor implemented! Although illegal in the Philippines, prostitution is still a very good industry. It is being boosted by dollars brought in by foreign tourists, who are most likely to be male, aged 38 years or older and in the country for pleasure. The government actually has enough laws against prostitution, I have to mention again.
Among these Anti-prostituion laws is Republic Act 9208, otherwise known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, which seeks to save women and children from falling into prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage. Unfortunately, the law does not save them from poverty and lack of livelihood opportunities, which force thousands of women to prostitution. The fact that some Filipinos are very rich and others are very poor breeds the exploitation and abuse of poor women. As I may tell you, there can be no other law more beautifully phrased than Philippine laws... really! But all these, are all drops of ink and nothing more. I don't even think most law-makes are aware that they have passed these laws!


In 2005, some 2.6 million foreign tourists infused about $2.4 billion into the country, the highest in history. This year, the Department of Tourism (DoT) expects between $2.8 and $2.9 billion from the influx of about three million visitors. Another 3.4 million visitors are expected in 2007, 3.88 million by 2008, 4.42 million by 2009 and five million by 2010. And of course, the tourism industry has computed it in the premise that there are always be prostitutions to help foreigners to come by.




The truth is, this prostitution is so rampant in the country. There is no way to stop it. It is everywhere! Why don't the government make something about it? Not to make laws againts it because again, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to stop it considering the Filipino's Ningas Cugon mindset, where laws are hot when newly passed but will be eventually forgotten as the time goes by. For me, it is better to legalize prostitution, put it in a secluded part of the country or certain province, generate revenue from it. The revenue would then help poor children to go to dchool, develop industries, provide a good paying work. In this manner, it is possible to decrease the number of potential prostutes because others have source of livelihood. As Macchiavelli said, the means justifies the end. And after all, there is no difference, this prostitution industry will exist and continue to exist whether the Philippine government likes it or not.


This is my suggestion and if you have other thoughts, and I know that you have your own set of thoughts on this, so do not hesitate to comment or post your insigts here. It is highly appreciated and welcomed. Also, you will be more enlightened if you read the full report from the " Manila Standard Today.

9 comments:

  1. not just in the Philippines.. but in other parts of the world.

    it can be stopped.. if people stop talking about it giving much energy to the said industry. it can be stopped.. if one person takes a step to bring about change.. and there's still drugs and other stuffs along the way too.

    if one person becomes so "anti-something", you create more of that something.

    this is a nice way to be informed but one should not be inundated with them.

    that's why i pretty much shift my focus on all the good things Pinas has to offer.. and slowly... the energy all the bad stuffs in Pinas will dwindle.. because no one talks about it.

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  2. while in college, i came to learn that prostitution has been a rampant problem in the Philippines. this year, i learned that some prostis here in some areas in Southern Luzon undress their "pagkatao" FOR AS CHEAP AS P50.00. Gosh! tsk! tsk! tsk! pathetic.
    It seems that it is worsening and worsening because no action can be seen from the Philippine government.

    ReplyDelete
  3. i guess, this thing happens because people suffers from poverty... and the root-caused of this is corruption in the government... if the wealth of the state are equally distributed and are not put inside the pockets of those corrupt officials then maybe this problem will, somehow, "lessen"... i have chosen the word "lessen" because i agree with you that this problem can't be stopped (it can be lessen but it's impossible to stop it)...

    and your right...and also Karl Marx ... to say that the power of the legislation is not enough to solve the problems of a state.

    i also agree with 'Painting Philippines'
    that it's better to "shift our focus on all the good things Pinas has to offer.." saying negative things about the state would make us think that the Philippines is a hopeless case... We should not lose hope... ika nga eh, "habang buhay may pag-asa"...


    anyways, ang ganda ng blog mo..! naappreciate ko xa!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Painting Philippines! In one way I appreciate the beauty of Philippines too. But we are not in a dreamland or in a fairy tale. Now I have to redirect you here A Reply to Comments on Sex in the Philippines.

    I have visited your site and I like the theme too. I am writing also the good things about us, don't be too alrmed. But it will be mostly on tourism-reated.

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  5. This cannot be stopped unless you provide alternative sources of income that matches their daily need to raise so they can fully provide for their families. But that is nearly impossible right now with the poor economy, so it's just a persisting. Every little and big problem in our country all boils down to one thing---poverty.

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  6. hello all...This is my first time in Manila. And I am currently staying at a hotel on Makati Avenue. Wow! Makati has overtake Patpong, Bangkok. All the A-G0-GO bars are fantastic.

    I sense some hypocrisy here and there and some of you may be women and perhaps having a middle class lifestyle.

    When people are desperate its difficult to force them not to do anythng else. Laws are only effective when police have better things to do than takle social ills or vices like prostitution. And you have to appreciate that its doing a lot of good for the economy.

    If these women are not in vices then there will be overseas like most Filipinas working in the entertainment industry or as maids. It does not mean that those working overseas will be better treated than those who prefer to work at home as sex workers.

    Have you guys or gals have ever thought of dropping by those A-GO-GO bars and see whether any of the women were mistreated...? I have seen it with my own eyes and I think most of them are happy and they seem to be proud of their work. No doubt its hard work and to a certain extent demeaning...now you tell what work is no hard work and when your boss embarass you...isn't that pretty much the same...By the way its more refreshing for these women as well because they enjoy their work because there is the music, there is the dancing and the atmosphere is always light and cheerful.

    So if you want to talk about human and feminine rights...ask yourself whether its right to deprive of what they are doing!

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  7. The law in the Philippines is a joke wither it be laws against prostitution or traffic laws. The government keeps spitting out laws that no one pays attention two. Example wearing a helmet while driving or riding on a motorcycle is illegal. Last Monday I saw two Policemen riding a motorcycle in Mandaue neither had a helmet on. Additionally they were driving down the wrong side of the road to avoid an illegal PUJ stop.

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  8. there is very little opportunity for women to earn a living in the philippines... same for a man.. even educated people have a hard time finding jobs above poverty level standards..

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  9. Thats exactly why i go there

    ReplyDelete

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