Section 17
SEC. 17. Section 17 of Republic Act No. 9208 is hereby amended to read as follows: “SEC. 17. Legal Protection to Trafficked Persons. – Trafficked persons shall be recognized as victims of the act or acts of trafficking and as such, shall not be penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of, or as an incident or in relation to, being trafficked based on the acts of trafficking enumerated in this Act or in obedience to the order made by the trafficker in relation thereto. In this regard, the consent of a trafficked person to the intended exploitation set forth in this Act shall be irrelevant. “Victims of trafficking for purposes of prostitution as defined under Section 4 of this Act are not covered by Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code and as such, shall not be prosecuted, fined, or otherwise penalized under the said law.”