Latest news about crime and security in the Philippines. Information about the black market is collected from international organizations, intelligence reports, national security agencies and news articles.
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency referred 291 cases of money laundering to the Anti-Money Laundering Council between 2003 to 2013. As a result of these investigations, $50.85 Million (270 Million Philippine Pesos) in drug trafficking assets were frozen during the span of 10 years.
Source: Xinhua, “Philippines steps up campaign against money launderers,” Phil Star, April 27, 2013.
There are an estimated 600,000 unlicensed guns and firearms in circulation in the Philippines, compared to 1.2 million registered firearms in 2012.
One unlicensed seller was quoted by the media as offering a .22 caliber Magnum Black Widow gun for $120 (5,000 Philippine Peso) on the black market.
Source: AFP, “Guns black market thriving in Philippines,” Google News, April 11, 2013.
According to the Chairman and CEO of Petron, an estimated 36 million barrels of oil was smuggled into the Philipines in 2012. Oil industry officials also estimate that up to one-third of the oil sold on the market has been smuggled.
Source: Gil Cabacungan, “Petron hits oil smuggling,” Inquirer, April 2, 2013.
Foreign men are able to have sex with Filipina girls in bars in the area of Subic Bay, Philippines for a little over $35 a night (1,500 Filipino Pesos).
ABC News has reported that most of the bars in the areas are owned and operated by men from the United States. Several are former servicemen who served at the former Navel Base that was located at Subic Bay until 1992.
Source: Alexander Marquardt and Alex Waterfield, “Americans Targeted for Allegedly Running Underage Prostitution in Philippines,” ABC News, Nightline, February 25, 2013.
An estimated $20 Billion a year is lost in tax revenue in the Philippines due to black market smuggling.
Commodities such as petroleum, rice and fertilizer are among the items that avoid taxes.
Source: Cai Ordinario, “‘PH loses $20-B to smuggling each year’,” Rappler, February 26, 2013.
Non-governmental organizations in the Philippines estimate that there may by up to 500,000 prostitutes in the Philippines. In popular tourist destination Baguio City, up to 3,000 prostitutes are believed to be working the sex trade.
The prostitution industry in the Philippines generates up to $6 Billion a year.
(See more Prostitution Prices around the world.)
Source: Artemio Bumiao, “’500K Filipinos engage in prostitution’,” Philippine Star, February 11, 2013.
Between 2007 and 2012, prosecutors in the Philippines filed 8 cases of illegal logging activities.
6 of the cases have been dismissed.
Source: Melvin Gascon, “Is Quirino’s drive on illegal logging worth dying for?,” Inquirer, January 29, 2013.
In February 2011, the Government of the Philippines issued an Executive Order to address the illegal wood industry in the country. One portion of the order was to establish the Anti-Illegal Logging Task Force (AILTF). Between 2011 and 2012, up to 25 civilian members of the task force were killed.
During the same time period, the number of hotspots in the Philippines where unauthorized logging was highly active decreased from 197 to 31. Authorities seized 19.2 million board feet of logs that were illegally cut, and convicted 72 people.
Source: TJ Burgonio, “Aquino to AFP: Get illegal loggers,” Inquirer, November 26, 2012.
20 Forest Rangers in the Philippines have been killed between from 2010 when a ban on logging was enacted and October 2012, according to the Philippine Government.
Over the past century, the country has lost over half of its forests, with 7.6 million hectares of forests remaining.
The Forest Rangers earn $260 (11,000 Philippine Pesos) a month.
Source: Cecil Morella, “Rangers losing battle in Philippine forests,” Inquirer, October 2, 2012.
