Vendor nabbed selling sex video

CEBU, Philippines - A local dealer of pirated Compact Disc and Digital Video Disc was arrested Thursday for selling a copy of the sex video of the late actor Ramgen Revilla and his girlfriend Janelle Manahan at the down town area of Cebu City.

Operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas arrested Mark Ismael during a buy-bust operation.

He was caught in the act of selling a copy of the controversial sex video to an undercover CIDG operative. The team led by Chief Inspector Fermin Armendarez seized from Ismael 20 copies of the sex video of Revilla and Manahan with an estimated value of P6,000.

CIDG operatives also seized 260 pieces of other pornographic videos from the suspect amounting to P26,900. 

CIDG-7 director Sr. Supt. Jose Pante said the operation stemmed from a complaint filed by the family of Manahan in the CIDG national headquarters. The family of Manahan sought the help of the police to stop the proliferation of the controversial sex video.

Acting on the directive from the national headquarters the CIDG operatives in Central Visayas immediately conducted a series of surveillance operations in Cebu. Ismael was found to have been peddling copies of the sex scandal prompting the CIDG operatives to hatch a buy-bust operation.

Ismael, who is currently detained at the CIDG-7 stockade, did not issue a statement when sought for comment following his arrest.

Pante said they are preparing charges for violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code and Republic Act 9995 or the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act of 2009 against the suspect.

Pante said the operation will continue as he admitted that there are still many vendors who are selling the sex video.    - (THE FREEMAN)