Photo courtesy: Office of Councilor Pamela Librado-Morata
DAVAO CITY (March 4) — A simmering policy contradiction at City Hall is now under scrutiny: Why is the local government collecting fees from women in prostitution while declaring exploitation illegal?
Councilor Pamela Librado-Morata has called for the removal of a provision in the city’s 2017 Revenue Code that requires women tagged as guest relations officers (GROs), massage attendants, or “taxi dancers” to secure occupational permits — a process that costs more than P4,000 a year.
In a privilege speech, she argued the rule clashes head-on with the Women’s Development Code of Davao City, which explicitly prohibits the commodification of women.
“By requiring an occupational permit and collecting fees from prostituted women, we are effectively sanctioning an act that both national and local laws recognize as exploitation,” Librado-Morata said.
A legal and moral contradiction?
The push gained momentum after Talikala Inc., a Davao-based women-led group fighting trafficking and sexual exploitation, formally asked the council to amend or scrap Section 229, Article 27 of the Revenue Code of Davao City.
At the heart of the debate is a question of principle: Can government regulate — and profit from — an activity widely recognized as exploitative?
Librado-Morata cited the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, which penalizes sexual exploitation and trafficking.
“How can the City Government collect a revenue fee from an exploitative or illegal activity?” she asked. “A fee imposed to regulate an illegal act may itself be considered void.”
600 women, P4,000 a year
City data as of 2023 show around 600 women are registered under these occupational permits.
To obtain one, applicants must submit paperwork, secure health clearances, and present employment certifications — steps that require separate processing and additional payments.
For advocates, the system effectively places a financial burden on women already in precarious situations.
“These are not mere statistics,” the councilor said. “These are 600 lives navigating vulnerability, exploitation, and systemic barriers — while paying the government to do so.”
Regulation vs. rehabilitation
Supporters of the permit system argue it allows the city to monitor establishments and enforce health standards. But critics counter that regulation has blurred into normalization — turning what should be a protection issue into a revenue stream.
Librado-Morata is instead pushing for stronger enforcement of Section 16 of the Women’s Development Code, which mandates socio-economic interventions for women in the entertainment sector, including health assistance, alternative livelihood programs, and protection from gender-based violence.
“Our role is not to tax vulnerability,” she said. “Our mandate is to create pathways out of exploitation.”
The debate now confronting Davao’s lawmakers is more than administrative. It forces the city to confront a difficult truth: whether its policies are protecting women — or quietly institutionalizing the very system they claim to dismantle.
