7 women victims of human smuggling rescued in Palawan

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna ,Philippines  – Police arrested two suspected members of a human smuggling ring and rescued at least seven Filipino women to be smuggled to Malaysia, in an operation in Palawan Saturday.

Chief Inspector Reynaldo Ramos, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Palawan chief, said the suspects were identified as Deve Ibrahim Vasquez, 41, working as taxi driver in Labuan, Malaysia and Valerie Ann Tompong , 23, of Angeles City, Pampanga, who were arrested during a raid at the Pring Pension House.

Those rescued were identified as Joanne Cecillano Angelique, 21, Arlen Encillo, 23, both residing in Dasmariñas, Cavite; Anndrine Lacap, 26; Jenalyn Espinosa, 19; Jessica Espinosa, 21; Daneth Dayrit, 19 and Aloha Salutin, 24, all from Angeles City, Pampanga.

Investigation disclosed that the trafficked victims will be sailing from Barangay Buliluyan to Labuan, Malaysia to work as waitresses in Peftok Bar, which is owned by a certain Lorena Manahan.

CIDG chief Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said that a day before the rescue operation, CIDG operatives in Palawan received a report that several Filipino women from Manila will be slipped out to Malaysia via a boat in Barangay Rio Tuba, Bataraza, Palawan.

Ramos immediately organized a surveillance and rescue team to monitor the reported trafficking of female victims who arrived from Manila last Wednesday and were met by Vazquez at the Puerto Princesa International Airport.