Phl maintains Tier 1 rank in US trafficking report

The Philippines has kept its Tier 1 ranking in the 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, showing that the country continues to meet the minimum standards in fighting human trafficking.

- Caecent Noot-Magsumbol/JG

However, the report also showed that many victims still go unnoticed, labor trafficking remains under-addressed, and officials linked to trafficking are not being held accountable. The country has maintained this rank for the 10th consecutive year.

The report, released by the U.S. Department of State, was formally presented during the 17th Media Seminar in Bacolod City hosted by the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines.

The Freeman Staff Reporter Caecent Noot-Magsumbol was among the invited participants.

The seminar highlighted the partnership between the United States and the Philippines in combating trafficking, with speakers from government, media, and civil society sharing insights and visiting local efforts to support survivors.

The TIP report, which provides an annual overview of global anti-trafficking efforts places countries into four categories - Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 2 Watchlist, and Tier 3-which is based on how governments measure up to the minimum standards set under the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, which are largely aligned with the United Nations TIP Protocol.