CEBU, Philippines - Police rescued two minors from Cebu and arrested an elderly woman who reportedly sold the victims for sex, last Sunday in an entrapment operation in the town of Tibiao, Antique.
Inspector Sheryl Bautista, deputy head of the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force-7, said they carried out the rescue in cooperation with personnel of Tibiao Municipal Police Station and rescued the two girls. One of them, a Grade 6 student is only 14, while the other, a first-year high school student, is 17.
Bautista said the victims, who are residents of Mandaue City and Danao City, were recruited by an unidentified woman sometime last April and were promised with a babysitting job in Antique.
After their parents allegedly agreed to them leaving, the girls were then brought to Antique.
However, instead of a babysitting job, the two minors were reportedly made to work in a KTV Bar owned by the suspect.
“Mag-entertain sila sa bar and are also sold for exploitation,†said Bautista.
Bautista said that after learning about this, they conducting surveillance on the suspect and proceeded to Antique to carry out the entrapment. The case, she said, was referred to them by the Mandaue City Social Welfare and Services through an endorsement from Paknaan barangay captain Malaquias Soco, that a minor was allegedly recruited for sexual exploitation.
Last Sunday evening, RAHTFF personnel entered Mol’z Beach Resort and Lodging in Tibiao which was owned and managed by the suspect and posed as customers who wanted to take the two girls out of the bar.
Police handed over P3,000 to the suspect as payment for the girls and as soon as the suspect received it, she was arrested, said Bautista.
In an interview with police, the minors said they have been sexually exploited and would receive P1,500 to P1,700 for every client that they went out with. The suspect reportedly charged bar fees per transaction.
The suspect, however, denied selling the minors saying that the victims, who confessed to have run away from home, were just staying in her boarding house.
The suspect admitted though that the girls worked in her KTV bar because they were allegedly earning money to return to Cebu.
“Alam kong minor sila pero gusto daw nila mag-ipon ng pera kasi gusto na nilang bumalik sa Cebu. Tinulungan ko,†she said.
The suspect further claimed that her KTV Bar had few customers so last Sunday night when two men who were actually law enforcers came as customers, the girls worked again.
“Nagkataon na may customer dalawa, pumayag sila kasi kinabukasan uuwi na sila ng Cebu,†she further alleged.
She said she wouldn’t know if the girls were being sexually exploited by their customers because they allegedly went in and out of the boarding house without her knowledge.
The suspect reasoned out that she only received the P3,000 cash because the girls requested for it.
“Itago ko na lang daw muna ang pamasahe nila kasi ipapamsahe nila kinabukasan,†she further alleged.
Bautista said the suspect will face charges for violation of the Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003,as amended by RA 10364 of the Expanded Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.
The RAHTFF official said they will also look for the girls’ recruiter, who just possible lives in Mandaue City.
The rescued victims were subsequently turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development-7.
Since RAHTFF was reactivated this month, four anti-trafficking in persons operations have been conducted, with 11 minors rescued. Two of the operations were held in Cebu Province, and each for Cebu City and Antique. –(FREEMAN)