00:02Good evening everyone, you're watching BTV News Now.
00:06Patrick Dez is here delivering you the nation's biggest development.
00:10Join us as we unveil the stories that matter.
00:14Our top story tonight.
00:16The government will begin distributing a 5,000 pesos fuel subsidy to public utility vehicle drivers next week
00:24amid rising global oil prices.
00:27Transportation Secretary,
00:29Giovanni Banoy López, said the assistance was ordered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
00:35to provide immediate relief to transport workers affected by the surge in fuel costs.
00:41The rollout will start in Metro Manila on Tuesday,
00:45with tricycle drivers prioritized, followed by jeepney operators, drivers, and other transport sectors.
00:52The subsidy will be released through the Department of Social Welfare and Development
00:57using its assistance to individuals in crisis situation program according to DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian.
01:06The government has earmarked 30 billion pesos for the program as tensions in the Middle East continue
01:13to drive global oil prices higher.
01:18The Philippine National Police has started implementing energy conservation measures across all its units
01:25to promote efficient use of resources.
01:28Under the directive, police offices will switch off non-essential lights and equipment,
01:35limit elevator use, and set air conditioning units at a standard 24 degrees Celsius.
01:42The PNP is also encouraging virtual meetings and maximizing natural lighting to further reduce electricity consumption.
01:51Fuel saving steps include limiting official travel, consolidating trips using government vehicles,
01:59and avoiding unnecessary engine idling.
02:02PNP Chief Police General Jose Melencio Nartates Jr. said the measures support the order of President Ferdinand R. Marcus Jr.
02:11for government agencies to prepare for possible oil price increases linked to tensions in the Middle East.
02:20It may be well the new Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia,
02:26which rakes in hundreds of millions, but not from narcotics or illegal drugs.
02:31The ASEAN nations of Myanmar, Cambodia, and Thailand,
02:35who are an online scam industry, thrives on the back of human-trafficed individuals.
02:40And the Philippines is among the countries from whence poor, innocent, and easily duped individuals are lured and sourced.
02:48VOA's Dave Lunobom reports.
02:52Human rights activists join family members of Malaysian victims trapped in scam compounds
02:58who share their stories at a news conference in late November.
03:01Their identities are being concealed for security reasons.
03:05This mother says her 24-year-old son went to Thailand for a vacation
03:09and ended up trapped in neighboring Myanmar.
03:13They hit my son until his buttocks were full of bruises.
03:16They handcuffed him to the ceiling.
03:18That's how he slept for two days.
03:21They gave electric shocks to his feet so he can't run away.
03:25The mother says the family paid a $16,000 ransom to the crime group holding her son.
03:31But the captors never set him free.
03:35It's very heartbreaking.
03:37I have been crying for many days.
03:40The non-government organization,
03:42Pratubahan Kabaji Kanao, Aesan Islamia, Malaysia, says
03:46this video shows victims trapped and tortured at scam compounds in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
03:52It has not been independently verified.
03:55Jake Sims, a visiting expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, says
03:59the criminal networks operate these scam compounds
04:02in countries with significant corruption and gaps in rule of law.
04:06Over the last several years,
04:08hundreds of thousands of people have been brought to the region,
04:11many of them via various forms of coercion, deception, human trafficking,
04:17to be involved in a very lucrative global industry of organized cybercrime
04:22that is defrauding people from all over the world
04:25to the tune of tens of billions of dollars per year.
04:28Two years ago, warnings about this crisis were sounded across Asia.
04:32Victims' families held demonstrations,
04:34including Miss Candlelight Vigil in Kuala Lumpur.
04:37There were reports in local and international media,
04:40but experts say victims continue to be trapped.
04:43I would actually say most evidence points to that this industry is growing
04:47and will likely continue to grow for some time.
04:50It's both the case that there's not sufficient awareness
04:54and also that the awareness that has been generated on this issue
04:59is not sufficient to counteract the fact that these people are facing
05:02severe economic vulnerabilities
05:05that are pushing them into being willing to take high risks.
05:08Experts say most of the victims in these scam centers come from across Asia.
05:12They're often lured by false promises of a legitimate job opportunity,
05:15only to be tricked, trafficked, and trapped.
05:17They are forced to work 15 hours a day,
05:20seven days a week in alleged scam compounds like these.
05:23They are ordered to befriend people on social media as well as dating apps
05:27and coax them to invest their money into cryptocurrency scams.
05:31There are widespread reports of torture, mysterious deaths,
05:37all kinds of issues that are emerging for people who either fail to comply
05:41or fail to succeed at the tasks that have been given to them.
05:44And experts say these types of cyber crimes
05:46and the human trafficking connected to it show no signs of slowing down.
05:52Dave Grunenbaum, VOA News, Kuala Lumpur.
05:58Join us anew tomorrow evening for another round of stories
06:02here and abroad, breaking at the hour.
06:05And always remember to stay connected by catching the news right here.
06:09This is Patrick DeSus, wishing you all a cool and restful evening
06:13and thank you for watching TTV News Now.
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