EDITORIAL - On the right track to win the battle

In two separate operations, at least two foreigners suspected to be pedophiles were arrested Wednesday afternoon by authorities in an intensified crackdown on child sex and human trafficking around Cebu.

In Cebu City, British national Christopher John Bragoli was arrested by operatives of Anti-Cybercrime Group of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-7 after he was caught with a minor and a 19-year-old girl inside an uptown hotel.

Bragoli has been under surveillance after local authorities received information from their overseas counterparts that he would arrive in Cebu. He may face child abuse and expanded human trafficking charges.

Then in nearby Cordova town, the police rescued a 14-year-old girl during a raid on the house of German national Dietman Moenig in a subdivision where he had been living for five years. Before his arrest, Moenig has been under surveillance for two months.

The police also arrested the girl's mother who reportedly pimped her to the German.  A house helper of Moenig would usually bring the girl to his house for him to take advantage of.      

While the public hails these latest developments as another victory for the country in the worldwide campaign against child sex and human trafficking perpetrated by foreigners, the battle is still far from being won.

It cannot be denied that there are still many foreign and local child sex and human trafficking offenders roaming freely around the country. And the authorities should implement the full force of the law running after them.

For decades the Philippines has been in the center of child sex in the world, a notorious tag stemmed from the slow campaign by authorities against foreign pedophiles. Added to this is the absence of an international network that would enable local authorities to coordinate with their foreign counterparts.      

But thanks to modern technology, local authorities can now easily monitor and arrest foreign pedophiles hiding in the country through coordination with their counterparts overseas. All they need is a heightened drive against such illegal activity. 

At least our authorities are now making some gains, which can only mean that the country is on the right track to win the battle.