Olango birds get stiff competition: 4 Japs filming beach sex fall

Two game wardens at the Olango bird sanctuary in Lapulapu City called in police late Wednesday afternoon when they spotted a more human activity going on — four Japanese tourists filming a sex scene.

Olango, a frequent stopover for migratory birds that winter in the southern hemisphere, found itself used instead by the Japanese — three men and a woman — as a tropical backdrop to a steamy shoot of an actual intercourse.

Police promptly arrested Yokomizo Masashi, 36, and his partner Miyawaki Yuki, 26, while in the act of copulation on the white sandy beach of Sulpa islet just off the northeastern tip of Olango.

The two other Japanese men who were filming the sex act — Takimoto Yuichiro, 40, and Izuno Hiroaki, 24, were also arrested. All four were hauled off to the Lapulapu City jail and their filming equipment — five digital cameras and two tapes — were confiscated.

The four were charged yesterday with violating Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code for obscenity and lewd acts but were released after posting bail of P6,000 each.

Cebu provincial board member Agnes Magpale, chairwoman of the committee on tourism, promptly lauded the wardens and the police for the arrest, and then lashed out at tourists who are insensitive and disrespectful of local customs and culture.

She said her office intends to file a protest with the Japanese government.

“ We are sending a message here that we do not tolerate these things. Although we promote tourism in Cebu, this is not the kind of promotion we want, ” Magpale said.

Lapulapu City police Inspector Junnel Caadlawon, who led a team to Sulpa islet to effect the arrests, said the Japanese claimed they were only having some fun.

The police came on receiving frantic calls from park wardens of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in nearby Olango Island that several Japanese tourists were on Sulpa islet filming sex on the beach.

Park wardens Socrates Sagarino and Ruben Taneo issued sworn statements that said they made the discovery at around 5 p.m. of Wednesday while monitoring bird activities on the bird sanctuary.

But to the surprise of Sagarino and Taneo, instead of pre-nocturnal bird activity, they found a completely naked Japanese couple having sex on a sand bar, and two other Japanese men intently filming the progress of the copulation.

Breathing heavily, they reported their surprise discovery to the Lapulapu City police detachment in Olango and Caadlawon and his team wasted no time in rushing to the site of the action.

Caadlawon, along with police officers Rogelio Trinidad Jr. and Roberto Echivarre, all swore in their affidavits that the Japanese couple were still copulating when they arrived.

“ Pag-abot namo, actual penetration pa gyud. Nakugang na lang sila nga naabot mi. Amo dayong gi-hold ang ilang camera aron dili ma-delete ug unya amo dayong gi-effect ang arrest ( There was still actual penetration when we arrived. We caught them by surprise. We promptly got hold of their cameras so they could not delete what they took. Then we effected the arrest. ), ” Caadlawon said when interviewed on radio DYLA.

According to Caadlawon, the four Japanese did not notice them coming because they were so absorbed and enthralled in what they were doing.

The four Japanese came on tourist visas last week from Narita.

Immigration regional director Geronimo Rosas said the travel documents of the four were all in order and they had 24 days to stay in the country as tourists.

Lapulapu City being a major tourist destination because of its world-class resorts and beaches, Vice Mayor Mario Amores is alarmed by the incident and has ordered the police to conduct a deeper investigation.

The city’s police chief, Superintendent Louie Oppus, said the arrest of the four only serves to confirm reports that the country is fast becoming a favorite of foreigners who come to film sex movies.

The Japanese consul in Cebu, Shigekazu Sakunaga, refused to comment on the incident but a female member of his staff said the consul did not yet have the complete information and referred reporters to the police for details. ( With Garry Lao, AFP/JST )