CEBU, Philippines -The owner and six employees of Jaguar KTV Bar were charged before the City Prosecutor’s Office for qualified trafficking in persons following the raid conducted late Saturday night at the establishment located in barangay Kasambagan, this city.
Aside from the owner, also charged were the managers, cashiers, and mama sans.Not all of them are, however, in police custody as only three were nabbed during the raid.
The three were brought before Prosecutor Rhoda Bacatan yesterday.
Bacatan has ordered the three suspects to submit their counter-affidavits within ten days after they filed waivers of detention.
Meanwhile, Regional State Prosecutor (RSP) Fernando Gubalane said yesterday that the respondents were arrested by virtue of 2 search warrants issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Ramon Daomilas.
Gubalane said there were 146 girls rescued from the bar during the raid late Saturday night, which was conducted by the Regional Intelligence Division 7 in coordination with the Regional Anti-Trafficking Task Force, Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking and the Department of Justice.
Gubalane added during the raid, the International Justice Mission and the Department of Social Welfare and Development were also there.
He said the raid was based on intelligence reports that some minors were working in the club.
Affidavit of minor
In her affidavit, a 16-year-old girl from Cotabato City said she applied at Jaguar as she needed money to help her sister who was sick.
She said that she was asked what kind of work she wanted, whether as guest relations officer (GRO) or dancer and she opted for the former.
She said that her work schedule was from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. and her job was to entertain customers.
In the same affidavit she also claimed that some of her colleagues would dance in front of the customers wearing skimpy clothing.
She also alleged that customers, who wanted to have sex with the women, can rent rooms inside the establishment or take them out.
The minor also alleged that a “bar fine” was charged to the customers, who would like to take out the women and such is paid to the “mama san.”
DSWD custody
Of the 146 rescued, a total of 32 others are suspected to be minors aside from the 16-year-old from Cotabato.
They are now in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
According to DSWD-7 Information Officer Jaybee Binghay, the role of their agency is to ensure that during a raid, the rights of women are not violated.
“So naa ta during the raid, tabunan ang ilang lawas ug nawong aron di ma-publish ang ilang hitsura samtang gi-raid,” Binghay said.
The 33 girls in DSWD custody will need to submit birth certificates or affidavits to prove their age.
“Di man na sila magda ug birth certificate and evidence that they are minors so suspected pa sila karon na minors. We conducted dental aging that will determine their age,” Binghay said
The department released 113 other women as they were able to prove that they are of legal age.
Binghay said that the DSWD is providing the 33 girls shelter and food and these girls are also being given health checks.
Binghay said that the girls will stay in the DSWD compound until such time that they are ready to return to their families. — with Janice G. Emate, NORSU /NLQ