There were no easy answers to the questions asked by Eli, 20, a resident of a village here called Barangay 96, when told that the human trafficking case against their tormentors had been dismissed. Eli was among 27 men and four boys recruited at Barangay 96 here to work at a fish farm in Sual town, Pangasinan. When someone promised him P5,000 a month just to feed fish, Eli’s eyes lit up. He was earning barely P150 a day driving a contraption called tricycle. On July 11, Eli, whose real name was being withheld upon the request of the city’s social welfare office, headed to Sual with his fellow recruits.

Gabieta, J. A. (2018, August 4). Sual trafficking victims: Where’s justice for us?. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A12.