Three girls rescued, couple in Cordova cyberporn arrested

CEBU, Philippines - Authorities have arrested a couple and rescued their three daughters in an anti-cyberpornography operation in Barangay Ibabao, Cordova late yesterday afternoon.

The names of the suspects - a pregnant woman in her early 30s and a man in his early 40s - have been withheld owing to the nature of the case.

The rescued children were aged 11, 12, and 16, said Senior Insp. Ma. Theresa Macatangay, head of the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RATTF).

RATTF personnel were accompanied by representatives of the International Justice Mission, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Justice, and United States Department of Homeland Security during the operation.

The raid by the RATFF personnel led by Insp. Sheryl Bautista was conducted by virtue of a search warrant issued by Judge Ramon Daomilas, Jr. of the Regional Trial Court Branch 11 last Tuesday.

Macatangay, who supervised the operation, said they served the search warrant around 5:30 p.m. to the suspects in their house in sitio Bilatan through an informant.

"Nitimbre siya namo na ongoing na ang act sa sulod, that the girls were about to do the act so we went inside," said Macatangay in an interview with The Freeman.

Their informant was a neighbor of the suspects, she said.

Macatangay said that while they did not catch the suspects in the act of exploiting their children, they found messages in the chat logs of the computer.

"They were about to do the show, i-subject na unta sila sa exploitation like pahuboon sila and ipa-touch ilang genitals," the RATFF chief revealed.

Macatangay said they built up the case for at least three weeks until they applied for the search warrant.

The mother was shocked when police officers barged into their house while the father tried to run away but was eventually pinned down, she said.

The couple has been earning at least $100 or some P4,500 per transaction, depending on the extent of the lascivious acts a child is made to perform, Macatangay disclosed.

The girls are made to strip off their clothes and then touch their private parts in front of the computer where foreigners watch, she said.

"Ang ginikanan mao'y mo-command kung unsay ilang buhaton then sila gyud pu'y mag-sell sa ilang mga anak. Sila ang mangita og customers online," the RATFF chief disclosed.

They cater to both local and foreign customers particularly from European countries, Macatangay further informed.

"Nahimo na nilang livelihood," she said. The couple, she said, would receive the payment through money couriers.

Police recovered a computer monitor, CPU and routers from the couple's bedroom, where the cybercrime was being operated.  Based on the history of the chat logs, Macatangay said the couple has been consistently operating the cybercrime since over a year ago.

The children are now in the custody of the DSWD and will undergo psychological debriefing, she said.

Macatangay believes that there are still cyber pornography operations in the town of Cordova.

A charge for violation of the Republic Act 9208 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 as expanded by RA 10364 will be filed against the couple who are now detained. —/LPM (FREEMAN)