Sex workers' virginity certified in PH government clinics

ABS-CBNNews.com reports that Kristie Kenney, who was then US ambassador to the Philippines, revealed in a cable she sent in 2009 that "(Philippine) government clinics certify bar workers' sexual health and their virginity."

In Cable 09MANILA1827, which has been posted on WikiLeaks, Kenney alleged that "although prostitution is illegal in the Philippines, social hygiene clinics run by local governments sometimes operate closely with nightclubs in red light districts."

The cable cited Angeles City Health Office workers telling the embassy that "GROs [guest relations officers] are required by municipal law to have weekly medical checkups to be allowed to continue working." It also disclosed, "Bar owners pay local authorities to overlook the illegal activity; if any trouble arises, GROs may be at risk of arrest, while bar owners and management may sometimes walk away unscathed."

Citing reports from a USAID-funded NGO, Kenney went on to say that "men may pay as little as P150 to P200 per night to engage in sex with a woman, who may receive a payment as low as P20." Then, referring to an International Labor Organization study, Kenney stated that "at one time, there were over 500,000 women and children engaged in prostitution in the Philippines."

Current US ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas recently said that 40 percent of male foreigners in the Philippines are in the country for "sexual tourism."

Source: spot.ph

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