If this subject bothers you or you feel disgusted by the mere subject, please do not read the following as it may disturb certain people! All opinions are those relating to arguments and facts that are available to me; henceforth, there is no judgement about anyone only facts!The sex trade is always a subject of contention because it is rampant in many third world countries and nothing is really done about it. Many have tried to lure young girls or boys away from this trade as they are exploited at such a young age. I will try to discuss the forming of this trade as it was highlighted during the Vietnam war. I will also be touching the social and economic impact it has on Filipino society.
Ever so often, you will see an article or a blog that will dwell into the depths of the sex trade in the Philippines. It is very hard to write about this subject as there are so many diverging opinions about it; however, I will try my best to explain myself. We seldom hear from sex tourists (foreigners) of how women are cheaper than the beer you buy! The Vietnam war has been a huge factor in the growing number of young women offering their bodies...for a price of course! We know for a fact that during the Vietnam war, a U.S. presence in the form of the Clark Air base was instrumental in the growing sex trade in Manila. As in many countries during war, the lack of immediate entertainment gave rise to new pleasures found locally. You can imagine how far one Filipino could go with several dollars back in those days, so it became "more accepted" if you will with other Filipinos. Angeles being the closest to the base was a prime hot spot for a flourishing red light district that this day, is still a prime spot for tourists and sex tourists alike. Although the U.S. army abandoned the base and all it's facilities, Filipinos and expats have found good use for the infrastructure. I cannot deny that it is neither sides fault for the sex trade to rise up so dramatically.
As human nature demands, we must survive and make sure our lineage survives as well. This is something that many people have a hard time understanding. I don't like that some people come to the Philippines just for cheap women! It is a beautiful country that has much to offer to the world, but much of it has been unseen by the world. 
Unfortunately, it is a very poor country that hugely depends on tourism and OFW money to survive in an ever growing world. Literally thousands of young women every year turn to the sex trade to support their families. It can be a sensitive subject to criticize as the majority to it for their children's sake. They want to grow a healthy, educated and a non-impoverished life compared to what they had. As an average Filipino family has 5-6 children, you can start to understand why some of them do what they do to survive. The economy also plays a huge factor on these women. On average per month a person can make as little as 5000 php per month! If we compare this too our standards, it is bare minimum to survive! A GRO (Guest relation officer) as they are called now can make pretty good money if they put their minds to it. Some of these women enjoy what they do as it gives them a good revenue for themselves. Others are not as fortunate because the majority once again do not chose it by choice, but as a necessity to survive. Some girls are eve sold into relative slavery because of debt, false promise of getting a job or other deceitful promises.
Unfortunately, it is a very poor country that hugely depends on tourism and OFW money to survive in an ever growing world. Literally thousands of young women every year turn to the sex trade to support their families. It can be a sensitive subject to criticize as the majority to it for their children's sake. They want to grow a healthy, educated and a non-impoverished life compared to what they had. As an average Filipino family has 5-6 children, you can start to understand why some of them do what they do to survive. The economy also plays a huge factor on these women. On average per month a person can make as little as 5000 php per month! If we compare this too our standards, it is bare minimum to survive! A GRO (Guest relation officer) as they are called now can make pretty good money if they put their minds to it. Some of these women enjoy what they do as it gives them a good revenue for themselves. Others are not as fortunate because the majority once again do not chose it by choice, but as a necessity to survive. Some girls are eve sold into relative slavery because of debt, false promise of getting a job or other deceitful promises. This is only a small fraction of what I could say, but it is only to inform the reader YOU of what is happening in another country. Remember that you might not agree with their choice, but just trying to understand how these women live will guide you a step closer to humanity. In part two, I will discuss a news report that was aired on CBC's The Lens in 2007 in titled "Selling sex in Heaven". The documentary opened my eyes to the reality of the Filipino sex trade and how brutal it can be to these poor girls. If you have any comments I would be pleased to read them and reply...thank you!
1 comments:
Horribly depressing!
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