BUTUAN CITY (PIA) – The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) strengthened its campaign on Republic Act No. 10906, or the Anti-Mail Spouse Order Act, through a relevant discussion of the law during the recent Kapihan sa PIA at SM City Butuan.
Joanna P. Bautista, Emigrant Services Officer of the CFO-Davao Satellite Office, said, “RA 10906 declared the practice of matching Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals through mail-order or personal introductions for a fee, including advertising and other related activities, as unlawful.”
She warned, “Ang pagrereto ng mga Filipino sa mga foreign nationals (the matching of Filipinos to some foreign nationals) for marriage purposes in exchange for money is punishable by law.”
Bautista added that the law aims to enhance compliance with marriage rules in the country, such as requiring couples to be of legal age, among others, to ensure that Filipino marriage migrants will enjoy decent living overseas and will not become victims of exploitation.
She emphasized that the CFO requires Filipino marriage migrants to prove that they have a genuine relationship with their foreign national partners and are not mail-order spouses.
Further, Mike Joy Aton, an Emigrant Services Officer of the CFO-Cebu Satellite Office, disclosed that the CFO continues to receive reports and cases of human trafficking among Filipinos overseas, stating, “In the guise of marriage to some foreign nationals, human trafficking occurs. Sad to say, we received cases of Filipinos overseas who are victims of deceit, violence, prostitution, and even worse, of organ harvesting and scam insurance schemes.”
“With the strong influence of social media nowadays, the commission is vigilantly monitoring the prevalence of online wedding and marriage banks, which are allowed in other countries, and we cannot question their papers. That is why we are strengthening the pre-departure programs of the CFO, such as orientation, seminars, and counseling, among others, to prepare and empower them on what they will do in case their marriage turns bad,” he added.
The CFO, in addition, campaigned for active utilization of its “1343 action line” to report cases of human trafficking and of its Facebook page, email address, and website for the commission to efficiently help and provide assistance to its clientele, particularly those who are victims of human trafficking abroad.
The CFO brought its advocacies to the grassroots with its recent visit to the Caraga region, where they conducted a community education program in the municipality of Buenavista, Agusan del Norte, and Barangay Doongan in Butuan City, as well as made a courtesy visit to the provincial government of Agusan del Norte for their upcoming partnership on its digital platforms. (RLE/PIA-Caraga)
