Cybersex den busted

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — A 35-year-old mother is now locked up in jail for allegedly engaging in cybersex trade using her two children, and five other minors.

Multiple charges for violations of Republic Act 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 as amended by RA 10364, or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012); RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012), and RA 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act) are now being readied against the suspect, who is now locked up in a police jail. Her identity has been withheld.

The victims are aged 14, 16, and 17 years old—children of the suspect’s neighbors — and the suspect’s two children, aged 2 and 5 years old. The police also rescued an 18-year-old woman in the house.

Senior Police Officer 4 Arlyn Torrendon, chief of the Bacolod Police Women and Children Protection Desk, said the arrest of the suspect in Bacolod City on Thursday was made in coordination with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, which tapped the Camp Crame’s Women and Children Protection Desk, after finding out her location.

Investigations of the police showed that the modus of the suspect was to display the nude minors in front of the webcam while the customers, mostly foreigners, were watching through internet. The ‘customers’ sent the payment to the woman via money transfer, Torrendon said.

The police are appealing to the public to be aware and get involve on whatever is happening in our community, considering that in the recent incident, the neighbors of the suspect had no idea that a crime was already happening in the area.

While the suspect is now locked at the custodial facility of a police station in Bacolod City, government social workers are also conducting intervention to the victims to debrief them of their trauma.

On May this year, three minors were also rescued from a cybersex den in Brgy Handumanan, Bacolod City, with mother of the victims is now facing charges in court for violation of RA 7610, among others. (FREEMAN)