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By Anna Lee Fos, Contributor
The Philippine National Police (PNP) in Negros
Occidental is implementing a local anti-trafficking in persons (TIP)
databanking re-training program and is making use of local resources
to conduct it.
The conduct of a re-training on TIP databanking
is challenging as the agency has budgeting priorities and the usual
fund limitations. However, the PNP Negros Occidental showed how low-
or no-cost activities could be done for real with a little
imagination.
PO3 Helen Laciperos helped organize it while
still fresh from a two-day US DOS/American Center-assisted TIP
databanking training on April 1 to 2 conducted in Cebu City.
With barely P10,000 fund, but loads of patience
and dedication, PNP Negros Occidental carried out hands-on
re-training in six batches of four to six persons per batch.
Every session recalled and re-echoed every
detail of the two-day trainers’ training on the CFO/Napolcom/US
DOS/Solidarity Center STEER Project-developed Philippine Information
System on Trafficking (Phil-IST) Laciperos attended.
“We only had one computer during the training,
so what I did was first present and explain step-by-step every
detail of the system. Afterwards, every trainee had a chance to
explore the system and to input data. The discussion and individual
hands-on session were time consuming; that’s why we had [the
training] clustered, with four to six persons per batch,” Police
Officer 3 Laciperos recalled.
Never running out of creative ideas, PNP Negros
Occidental, collaborated with the Cedar Institute of Technology,
Cadiz City, for free use of computers during the last session in May
2008. This time, each participant was allowed to experience
real-time lecture and hands-on sessions.
“We are grateful for the assistance of the
Cedar Institute. This time, it was easier to explain the system
because the participants got to follow the lecture and execute the
process in individual computers. They even had more time during the
hands-on session,” a grateful Laciperos remarked.
The chiefs and personnel of the Women and
Children Protection Desk (WCPDs) from 31 city/municipal police
stations participated enthusiastically.
PNP Negros made it through the first part of the
databanking process. Police Chief Inspector Regidor Alvarado says
the bigger challenge is yet to come. “We had a good start;
there’s no doubt about that. Installing the system in every police
station, encoding data and consolidating reports will be an even
greater challenge.”
PNP Negros Occidental is part of the Negros
Anti-Trafficking Community Network working with the STEER Project.
The databanking re-training was part of the efforts to jumpstart the
process of building the Philippine Information System on Trafficking
developed by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, National Police
Commission, US DOS and the Solidarity Center’s STEER
Project-developed among the police in the province.
The information system will provide data on
types of trafficking offenses/violations, victims and offenders,
gauge the extent of trafficking in different areas, among other
things, and provide a basis for government and private sector
proactive and responsive programs against trafficking and for
services to trafficking victims-survivors.
Anna Lee Fos is a staff member of Solidarity
Center, a nongovernment organization involved in the campaign
against trafficking.
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