Confronting Sexual Exploitation Campaign Against Sex Tourism and Trafficking in Filipino Women Exposure/Study Tour to the Philippines June l9-Juty 4, 1995 Report of the Participants from Australia and AotearoaN.Z. Contents Foreword to the second printing and Foreword to Forward: / few words from the Editors ..................... t Executive Summary by Melba de Guzman-Marginson 3 lntroduction - Strengthening Solidaritf With Filipino Wonen Against $exual Exploitation ........................... t What Now? How Gan We Bespond to the lssues Raised Confronting in this Report? Confronting Sexual Exploitation: DIAL0GUE STATEMENT I Sexual Prostitution in Meto Manila - Our Exposure Begins byY Kathleen Maltzahn II The Mayor's Parlour - Extracts from dialogue with Exploitation local officials of Angeles Gity Australia / lllew Zealand / Philippines Dialogue - Selected Presentations of Australian & Aotearoan Participants t5 Campaign Against Extracts from Workshop Reports 40 Panel Oiscussion with Representatives from Sex Tourism and Philippine Agencies and Australian Enbassy ........... 57 A llight of Celebration and Solidarity .......................71 Trafficking in They Call Us Everything Else Except Victins by Richie Valencia-Buenaventura Filipino Women Sex Tourism & Trafficking - Study Tour Ejected fron Angeles Hotel by Emere Distor Australasian Women's Delegation Confronts Flesh Exposure/Study Tour Merchants - Beport from AotearoaltlZ hy Cally to the Phitippines Sommerville Feminism, Human Rights, and the Traffic in Wonenby June l9-July 41 1995 Sheila Jeffreys ................ ......................83 Sex Tour with a Difference by Dr Meredith Burgmann, MLC NSW .........................87 Report Study Tour: a personal reflection hy Deborah Wall .88 of the Batang Paslit By Robert John Tejero ........................92 Participants from Exlract-Trafficking in Women: Australia's Bole in the Exploitation of Filipino Women by Sabina lauher ...93 Appendix /.'Graphic artists'works in the text ........95 Australia and Appendix 2: Study Tour ltinerary and Agenda .........95 AotearoaN.Z. Appendix 3: The GAST Study Tour Sponsors, Participants and Goordinators ................................... 97 Appendix 4:The Balibago Precinct ......98 Appendix f.' Press Goverage in the Philippines and Australia .........................101 Appendix 6.' Further Reading Appendix 7,' Some Useful Addresses ....................... I 04 Published hy: Centre for Philippine Concerns-Australia, Brisbane Branch, 2a Justice Place, 84 Park Road, ,6 /6 i Woolloongabba, Oueensland 4102, Is Australia Second Printing October 1996 First Printing July 1996 tsBN o 646 29672I @ Copyrighf.' With the exception of articles, drawings, and photographs attributed with a by-line, this material may be cited in your researches and publications, redistributed, or reprinted in part or in full. We would appreciate a copy of your work in which this report is cited. The 4Wimmin cover design and the Bonanza Hotel cartoon were constructed using CorelDRAW clipart. The remaining unattributed graphics are from Clipart vol.l no. /, a compilation featuring the works of seven feminist Filipina artists, published free of copyright by lsis lnternational, Manila, 1995. Confronting Sexual Exploitation - Campaign Against Sex Tourism and Trafficking in Filipino Women Foreword A sEcoND print run is a grand opportunity to correct the typos in the original manuscript and move a few graphics around. But there's more to this second printing than mere error correction. Following the Foreword an executive summary has been written by Melba de Guzman-Marginson and after the lntroduction there is now a piece on how we can respond to the issues raised in this Report. As well, Kathleen Maltzahn relates a short description of the Metro Manila exposure, and Sheila Jeffreys has contributed an article on the debate between "those who believe that prostitution is a form of work that women freely choose and those who consider prostitution a form of patriarchal abuse of women." There is also an additional appendix listing the graphic artists' works we have reproduced. We have been very encouraged by the interest and concern that has been expressed in the four months since this report was first released in July 1996 in Brisbane. - E.D. & D.H. (Editors) Foreword to Forward: A few words from the Editors lr took passion, limited resources and a lot of chasing to produce this report. The desire to compile most, if not all. the activities of the Study Tour after a year is a self-inflicted challenge. Ten hours of tape recorded speeches, discussions and reports were transcribed, comprehended and edited to a readable form. Tour participants already busy with other matters, personal or otherwise, were constantly reminded about their articles, the timeline, and for their comments. lt is interesting to note the kind of responses we got - some were prompt, some were excited, while a few could not be bothered. Of the three, it was the last we dreaded. Often, political sensibility dictates that a report/documentation be published promptly after an activity or campaign. One year later could hardly be described as prompt, but it was always definitely our intention to produce at least the Australian/Aotearoan component, albeit late, and in the last two months of production its volume grew by 40 percent. Bearing in mind the hard work of the tour's organisers both in the Philippines and Australia, it would have been a shame if the documentation was relegated to sheets of butcher's paper yellowing with age or forgotten unlabelled diskettes. Despite its rather informal prose and reader-friendly layout, the Report attempts to re-capture the many relevant discussions and opinions that would be difficult to recall had we not decided to tape-record as many sessions as possible. Transcribing the tapes is time consuming but nonetheless, invaluable. lt is a delight to listen to all these tapes, (especially through good headphones), not only to re-confirm what you thought you had heard, but also to reminisce the atmosphere - the merienda, the noisy air-conditioning, the restrained chatting at the back of the room, the microphone feedback and more. Equally interesting to listen to is the dialogue with the Angeles City officials, an excerpt of which is printed in the Report. ln our recollection, the meeting was very civil and courteous considering the straightforward questions thrown by the participants about prostitution and foreign investments in the entertainment industry. The hospitality of the Mayor's parlour had its formality. ln the evening we became unwanted guests and were eventually thrown out from a flimsy third-rate hotel. A trip to the local police the next day to file a formal complaint against Gary Griffin does not appear as a separate piece but is mentioned in Cally's article in passing. To compensate for the lack of photos of the Philippine police force's antiquity, we included instead for your amusement a copy of the sworn statement, archaically typewritten at Balibago Precinct. Whatever happened to our complaint is anybody's guess. The day the group left Angeles was the same day we last heard of it. Apparently there was an initial investigation. Since we haven't heard from the police up to now, we may as well assume that business is still flourishing for Gary and his mates. The hospitality of NKAC and WEDPRO, our hosts in Angeles City, is in our hearts but not on our tapes. The meetings with women who work in the bars and on the streets could not be taped. So, sisters, we would urge you to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboards and record your experience in preparation for PAGE 1 Exposure & Study Tour to the Philippines June 19-July 4, 1995 - Report of the Participants from Australia & Aotearoa/N.2. Confronting Sexual Exploitation - Gampaign Against Sex Tourism and Trafficking in Filipino Women 'The Report Part Two'. And before we forget, let us note the men who took part in our exposures, attended the dialogues, and helped in its preparation. They were not many, but they were there. The publicity that the campaign generated was remarkable. Not long after we arrived in Australia, tour participants from New South Wales held a press conference headed by Meredith; Melba flew to Canberra to discuss the campaign with parliamentarians; while Brisbane and Adelaide began reporting back to media, community and women's groups. We knew that our Philippine counterparts were doing the same as we heard Cecilia being interviewed by ABC Radio National. Another arena of the tour that we failed to record on tape was our dialogue with officials of the Australian Embassy in Makati. For some reason the atmosphere inside the room was that of restraint, if not indifference and, come to think of it, the Ambassador was not even there! Overall the meeting was civil. It is with great regret that transcripts of Sheila Jeffreys' fora do not appear here. Had they been recorded and lent to us to be transcribed, we would surely be making many people happy. Spare your disappointment though because Sheila has written many books and will write more. While we were still in Manila, there was talk going around that due to public demand, Sheila was again invited to come to Manila to lecture. lf the visit was realised would someone tell us what happened? After reading the preceding paragraphs you may remain suspicious that there are still missing pieces to the Study Tour puzzle. We are going to reveal to you what might have transpired during the times in question with our two-person editorial team: a) the tape batteries went flat; b) switching tapes was unintentionally neglected; c) taping was forgone altogether; d) Dee sped off to the toilet to relieve her stomach upset; e) Emere took another quick shower; or f) you probably did not reply to our letter! However, all is not lost, the Philippine Secretariat has their own set of tapes (with their particular problems) and part two or the full report can be published if funding can be secured. There are also tapes of the dialogues and interviews recorded by Richie of SBS and Sarah of the Australian Centre for lnvestigative Journalism, but copyright of their material is held by their respective organisations.