Japanese, couple nabbed for child trafficking

MANILA, Philippines - A Japanese man and a Filipino couple were arrested at a hotel in Manila yesterday for alleged child trafficking and producing pornographic materials for sale to European clients.

Chief Superintendent Rosauro Acio, director of the Women and Children Protection Center at Camp Crame, withheld the names of the suspects pending followup operations.

Acio said the suspects were arrested in a hotel in Malate, Manila at around 3 p.m. yesterday after several weeks of surveillance.

Sources said the Japanese contacted the Filipino couple, who supply him with girls aged 12 to 13 years old.

Police officers saw the couple bring five girls to the hotel but the Japanese only picked one and brought her to a room on the 21st floor that he had set up as a studio.

“He is into filming the female nude, in different poses. After filming, he would then bring the girl to another room on the ninth floor to have sex with her,” a source said.

Police officers are still checking other rooms the Japanese may have rented.

According to the results of the investigation, the Japanese would invite prospective clients, mostly from Europe, and give the couple’s contact numbers.

“The Japanese would upload the picture on the Internet then pedophiles would come,” sources said.

They said the couple get P20,000 for each girl they pimp but it is unknown how much money the girl gets as her share.

One source said the suspect has been operating his studio for a year.

Police officers seized sex toys, underwear, school uniforms and attire for children from the Japanese man’s studio.