A new article and story on CNN profiles Manny Pacquiao, and his fight against the issue of human trafficking in his home country of the Philippines, where he currently serves as a congressman and harbors not-so-secret ambitions of a one day presidency, perhaps within the next decade. For Pacquiao, this problem has become somewhat of a personal cause for him, and something he believes strongly in the need to fight against, and act on.
Read the full article by Leif Coorlim, “Manny Pacquiao rises for toughest fight“. Here’s a few excerpts and quotes:
In 2010, shortly after being elected as a congressman from Sarangani district, he had given a speech in which he argued the country must do more to organize and fund the efforts of anti-trafficking agencies. Immediately, he began working with the Visayan Forum, at the time, the largest anti-trafficking charity in the country.
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Pacquiao arrived at the Visayan Forum headquarters to hear first-hand from girls who had been victimized.
He spoke to three rescued girls, all under the age of 12. They had been forced to perform sexual acts in a video chat room for a number of foreign men. Some of the men demanded they perform sexual acts with men pulled off the street, drink their own urine and other even more awful acts. A man off-camera would force the girl’s compliance.
Pacquiao left shaken.
“Now that I’m here as a congressman, I know what to do. I know what I can do to help people.
“These traffickers have now been warned. We just need to be vigilant in order to sustain this. We also need funding from Congress. In addition, we need close coordination between government agencies. Likewise, we need coordination within various local governments,” said Pacqiuao.
They also put together this special infographic on human trafficking in the Philippines, which shows you just how stark and serious this problem is:
The Fighters is a full-length CNN Freedom Project film that premieres, in two parts, on CNN International on May 17 and 18. The documentary on the human trafficking of children is a result of two years of undercover work and filming in the Philippines. See more about The Fighters here.
Pacquiao has been in the news lately for a few less savory affairs, so it’s good to hear about the work he’s doing, and the issues he’s fighting against, as he strives for a better and safer country for his people.
