10 girls rescued from Caloocan club

MANILA, Philippines - At least 25 females, 10 of them minors, were rescued by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in Persons (IACAT) from a Caloocan City club where they were forced to work as prostitutes.

The IACAT team – composed of representatives from the National Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division (NBI-AHTRAD), the Office of the Vice President, and the non-government organization International Justice Mission – also arrested 10 managers and supervisors of Showtime II KTV on McArthur Highway.

NBI-AHTRAD chief Dante Bonoan said the club owner remains at large but they will still file qualified human trafficking and child abuse cases against him. The club owner apparently owns a string of clubs in Metro Manila.

“Club operators should be forewarned that we are very serious about our campaign to eradicate human trafficking activities that exploits the weakness of our women and children,” Bonoan.

Justice Undersecretary and IACAT head Jose Vicente Salazar congratulated the IACAT team for the successful raid and rescue of the victims.