BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — A beautician in this city has been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of P1 million for selling women for sex.
Melvin Eden, 56, was found guilty of violating Republic Act 9208 or Trafficking in Persons Act, Regional Trial Court Branch 60 Judge Maria Ligaya Itliong-Rivera said in a recent decision.
Eden was arrested after he offered two women for sex to agents of the National Bureau of Investigation office on the Cordilleras, who posed as customers in an entrapment on June 14, 2017.
In his defense, Eden said the victims were not minors.
It could be the first conviction for human trafficking in Baguio City since the law was signed 16 years ago.
NBI-Cordillera Special Investigator Andrew Cayanan said Eden had reportedly enriched himself through sex trafficking.
An entrapment was conducted several years ago to arrest Eden, but the case did not prosper.
The ruling is on appeal.