43 women rescued from bar

CEBU, Philippines - Forty-three females were rescued during a raid inside the White Castle KTV Bar along Airport Road, Barangay Pusok, Lapu-Lapu City last Wednesday night.

Chief of operations of the Mactan Airport and also Lapu-Lapu assistant city prosecutor Liceria Rabillas said 11 of the victims were suspected to be minors based on dental examination. 

The victims are now under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The victims were allegedly made to do various duties including performing lewd acts in the said KTV bar. 

Five suspects, three women and two men, were arrested and are now at the Waterfront Police Station. They refused to be interviewed. Charges for violation of the human trafficking law are set to be filed against them today.

Chief Insp. Maria Theresa Mactangay, team leader of the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force team, said they started surveillance on the bar late last year.    

It was about 9 p.m. last Wednesday when the authorities raided the establishment together with operatives from the Police Regional Office-7 Intelligence Department.  

She said that since the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force was formed, they have seen a continuous decrease in trafficking cases in Central Visayas. 

DSWD-7 Chief for Operations, Shalaine Marie Lucero said only eight victims were confirmed to be minors following thorough dental examination.

All of the victims are currently housed in an undisclosed facility within the city where social workers are taking their affidavits.

The said affidavits will be used to further help social workers assess the victims whether or not there is a need for further psychological debriefing.

Psychological debriefing is only done on a human trafficking victim if he or she manifests trauma from the experience or during his or her arrest.

Once the victims have undergone all of the necessary processes in the department, the minors will be placed under their custody while the 35 adults will be released.

“Eventually, kun di minor og kun di sila gusto mopasaka og kaso, i-release ra nato sila,” said Lucero.

The operation was a joint effort of the task force from the Department of Justice, the International Justice Mission and the Police Regional Office-7. — /BRP (FREEMAN)