 The
owner of a travel agency concedes that the sex industry is beyond the
control of the Department of Tourism (DoT). He also admits that when
tourists are looking for sex, travel agencies have no choice but to tell
them where it can be found. And it can be found in many places.
Along Quezon Avenue, it can be found fastest at massage parlors, where
customers choose who to have sex with from a roomful of girls. All this in
the guise of getting a massage for P1,500 to P2,000. (P1000 = £11.20,
$19.50)
One of the oldest massage parlors in the area had to bring down its charges
and offer promo rates to lure back customers who have found a wider
selection of girls from the salon. One that has been getting a lot of
attention lately is an exclusive massage parlor where politicians,
businessmen, actors, foreigners and moneyed individuals have been sighted.
Casas (brothels), which are not considered legitimate establishments, offer
sex services at more affordable rates. Then, there are also clubs, bars and
KTVs where customers and GROs (guest relation officers) or bar girls can
spend an hour or more at the VIP room with their customers for P1,500 to
P2,000 and have sex for another P2,000 to P2,500. Outside the VIP room, a
lady’s drink would cost the customer P500 to P600 every 30 minutes. One of
these clubs in Quezon City is getting a lot of Japanese and Korean
customers, because it is known for employing really young girls.
Another form of prostitution is the so-called escort service, where the call
girl accompanies the tourist to the places he wants to visit, including the
hotel room where he stays. This has also evolved into a sex tour. In Makati
City, some expatriates recruit girls to join them in a party where sex is
open to everyone who is present. The escort service trade is highly popular
in Puerto Galera, Palawan and Boracay.
It is estimated that there are more than 100,000 sex workers in the
Philippines. A search for the word Filipina or Filipino woman at global
search engine Google.com would most likely result in links to pornography
sites. One site promotes mail order brides; another, video clips of sex for
a fee and another, sex tours in the Philippines. Meet some sweet Filipina
girls from small Philippine towns, one Web site says in its header.
Amid the spread of prostitution in the Philippines, women’s group Gabriela
blames the tourism program of the government as a contributory factor to the
growing problem of prostitution: The tourism program of the government
which aims to project the Philippines as a major tourist destination has
increased the number of prostituted women. As more and more areas of the
country are targeted for tourism, more and more women are driven to
prostitution in desperation to ensure their family’s survival.
The Philippines used to send many 'entertainers' to Japan, but with the
stricter immigration and working policies in the world’s second largest
economy and the growth in international tourism in the Philippines, many
girls actually decided to work in local bars and KTVs while waiting for
their working visas.
As expected, the DoT is quick to deny any link between prostitution and
tourism. But not all officials are singing the same tune. One DoT official,
who has been stripped of his previous functions, has criticized the present
focus on Korea, Japan and China without sustaining the promotion efforts in
the more sophisticated markets of Germany and the United Kingdom. Senator
Richard Gordon, a former tourism secretary, admits that quality tourists
still come from Western and Northern Europe.
Eduardo Jarque Jr., assistant secretary for tourism planning and promotion
at DoT, says prostitution is not exclusive to the Philippines. Other
countries have the same problem. We just can’t control it, he says
pragmatically. He admits that foreigners are attracted to the caring
attitude of the Filipinos. Foreigners find us friendly. With such a short
time of stay in the country, foreigners’ quality of enjoyment here is very
high.
For his part, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano insists that nobody is
selling the country as a sex tourism destination. We welcome everyone as
long as they are legitimate tourists, but we do not condone prostitution,
he says. Prostitution, according to him, is not just a tourism issue, but a
social issue that needs to be addressed by everyone, not only by the DoT. We even discourage it. Families are the type of tourists we are bringing
into the country, he says.
Two economists from the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P), however,
caution the DoT against following the Thailand model. Prof. Winston
Padojinog and Prof. Maria Cherry Lyn Rodolfo say the country should move
away from sex tourism and toward quality tourism in order to get quality
tourists.
Instead of attracting male-dominated tourist groups, the two economists say
the country will do better by drawing in family vacationers to the country’s
tourist destinations, which are really among the best in the world. Data
shows that the average age of foreign tourists in the Philippines was 38 as
of 2004, which means it is not getting a lot of its desired tourists -
families on vacation.
Industry players cite the need for the government to sell these tourist
spots and the entire archipelago as a wholesome family destination, where
foreign tourists can enjoy the best of nature with their families. They say
this can truly offer a wonderful travel experience, and not just satisfy a
few carnal desires.
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