SEX IN DEPTH Philippines exporting
labor and sex By William
Sparrow
BANGKOK - Although prostitution is
illegal in the Philippines, sex remains a thriving
industry both domestically and abroad. Many
Filipinas ply the world's oldest profession in an
attempt to overcome crushing poverty and the
oppressive economic crisis gripping their
homeland. Even Filipinas who work overseas legally
- as maids, nannies or in other legitimate
occupations - often find themselves turning to the
sex trade to supplement meager incomes and to send
money home to the Philippines to support
impoverished family members.
The
Philippines has a bustling sex trade with much
variety. Small bars and clubs serve locals - often
taxi drivers, laborers and even local teenagers
looking to solve their virginity - and employ
women from poor rural areas who "service" clients
for as little as 200-400
pesos
(US$5-$10). More glitzy establishments cater to
foreigners, especially in areas such as Makati,
Pasay, Ermita or Angeles City where GRO's (Guest
Relations Officers) can be known to charge as much
as 2,000-3,000 pesos ($50-$75), even for a "short
time" experience.
A recent visit to
Makati, the business district of Manila, found
bars packed with scantily clad girls, many adorned
in thong bikinis or lingerie and gyrating
enthusiastically to Western pop music. Several
were equally enthusiastically about grinding their
nearly naked bodies against male customers' in
hopes of enticing a business arrangement. The
enticement is obviously doubled when two girls set
upon a customer, but the 6,000 pesos or so
required to take them out can have a cooling
effect.
More "off the beaten track" places
can be found throughout the Philippines,
especially any place catering to foreign tourists,
which is just about everywhere. Prices in these
venues range from 1,000 - 2,000 pesos ($25-$50),
but the price tag is often enough for an overnight
companion.
Prices aside, the sheer volume
of sex workers in the Philippines is staggering.
The most recent report by the International Labor
Organization (ILO) estimated that as of 1998 there
were as many 500,000 women working in the sex
trade.
The ILO report also estimated that
some 150,000 Filipinas were working in Japan as
"entertainers". In a 2005 interview with the
Philippine Star a woman explained the realities of
working there: "I used to work in Japan. I was
there only six months. We enter as entertainers,
but most of us have to earn through prostitution".
The Japanese Government was placed in Tier
2 in the 2007 United States Department of State’s
Trafficking in Persons Report for not fully
complying with the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act’s minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking, but making "significant efforts" to
do so. Japan's significant effort appears to be
largely based on a few arrests and limiting the
number of entertainer's visas to about 80,000 -
100,000.
The Philippine government's own
policies regarding overseas contract workers
(OCWs) only helps to encourage the flow of women
working abroad. But the situation in Japan is
hardly unique: the popularity of Filipina OCWs is
also evident on any Sunday afternoon on the
streets and parks of Hong Kong. As Sunday is
traditionally a day off for OCWs, hundreds of
thousands of Filipinas meet to socialize with
their compatriots. While many work as household
helpers, a visit to Wan Chai - Hong Kong's red
light district - makes it obvious that some
Filipinas are moonlighting in the sex trade.
One such woman told Asia Times Online that
she was a domestic helper, but frequented clubs to
sell sex to mostly expatriate clients. "Yeah, I
come to the bars sometimes to look for some extra
cash from the customers for short time sex. In
just a couple hours a few days a week I can easily
double my salary", said the 23-year-old, who added
that she was lucky to work for an employer who let
her come out a few times a week.
"Some
girls only get to come out on Sundays, it is not
as easy for them. Even then some have strict
curfews from their bosses. One girl had an
ex-employer who would only let her out on Sundays
and then she had to be back by 7pm. When the girl
asked the employer 'why', the boss said, 'If you
go out to the bars you'll get pregnant and then
I'll have to find a new maid.' Can you imagine
that?" she said.
"If nothing else I can
see some friends and have a beer, maybe get lucky
and make some money. It is always good when the US
fleet is in town; I have had as many as three
customers in one night," she said, appearing truly
pleased by her good fortune.
"I want to
send money back to my family in the Philippines
and save some for myself. I don't get much as a
maid so this helps me earn more," she said as she
placed her hand on the thigh of an Asia Times
Online' reporter.
The standard proscribed
wage for a domestic helper is HKD$3,480 per month
(roughly US$450). Working the bars can mean
serious income for girls who charge usually a
minimum of HKD $1,000 for a "quickie".
The
situation for underpaid domestic helpers is
consistent across Asia; not just in Hong Kong, but
also in Singapore, Australia and Malaysia. From
Shanghai to Dubai, young Asia women, frequently
Filipinas, end up featuring prominently in the
local sex scene.
The international
migration of Filipinos seeking work has been
prominent for decades. In the Philippines, labor
is the top export; the government has long
encouraged the practice by offering assistance in
getting overseas jobs. One such perk is that OCWs
are given "first grab" at land purchases in
certain areas, with mortgages being subsidized by
the government at low interest rates.
Asia
Times Online reported last month that the
Philippines' central bank estimated that migrant
workers would send home at least $14 billion in
2007. This makes the Philippines number three in
the world for foreign remittances, behind only
Mexico and India. Each year funds sent from abroad
represents almost 10% of the country's annual GDP.
Some portion of the money sent home, while
it is hard to calculate to an exact amount, is no
doubt coming from exporting Filipinas not only for
labor, but also for sex.
William Sparrow has
been an occasional contributor to Asia Times
Online and now joins Asia Times Online with a
weekly column. Sparrow is editor in chief of
Asian Sex Gazette and has reported on sex in Asia for
over five years. To contact him send question or
comments to
Letters@atimes.com.
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