Iloilo doubts NZ woman's sex slave tale

ILOILO CITY ,Philippines — City police investigators expressed misgivings on the allegations of a woman from New Zealand-as reported by a certain Lincoln Tan and published by the New Zealand Herald-that she was kept as sex slave during her stay in the Philippines.

Senior Supt. Marietto Valerio, Iloilo City Police director, said he is still exploring all avenues to unearth the veracity of the claims of 39-year-old Mary Elizabeth Jones that she was "kidnapped, beaten and forced into prostitution after being duped by a Facebook invitation to join a martial arts school."

Jones' allegations that she was "held captive in a tiny, filthy room for five and a half months and forced to have sex with up to nine men a day, after being kidnapped in the Philippines" came out on the September 20, 2011 issue of the New Zealand Herald.

The New Zealand Herald, a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, is considered the largest newspaper circulation in New Zealand.

According to its online edition nzherald.co.nz, with the headline "Kiwi woman kept as sex slave in the Philippines," Jones alleged that her ordeal began when she answered a message from a top martial arts group, inviting her to a month's intense training in the country in October.

"But after being picked up from Iloilo City's airport by the purported leader of the group, Ms. Jones was robbed of her belongings and thrown into the bug-infested room," the newspaper report stated.

Further, "she was visited by up to nine men a day and forced to have sex with them. Each paid 5000 pesos ($140)." She allegedly tried to escape and fight back but her attempts ended her being severely beaten, which caused her to lose several teeth.

"And after months of torment and starvation, which left her too weak to stand, she was dragged from the room and dumped on the streets of Manila," the report stated. 

Jones claimed that, five months after being rescued, she shared her story to serve as a warning for others who "may be tempted" by similar invitations. "I hate myself immensely and feel so dirty. I wish I could have just died in the Philippines rather than go on living like this," Jones was quoted by the newspaper while recovering at a boarding house in Mangere.

Initial probe

Immediately after receiving the information, Valerio ordered an investigation. In a check made with the Bureau of Immigration, it turned out that Jones arrived in the country last February 3, 2011.

She checked in the next day at Eros Pension House at Gen. Luna St., a busy street in the downtown area fronting Iloilo St. Paul's Hospital and located several meters from the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) headquarters.

According to reports received by the ICPO, Jones checked in with a man, who was believed to be her boyfriend. She checked out with the same man last February 6, but a day before (February 5) personnel of the pension house called for police assistance upon hearing a woman crying from one of the rooms.

When the police arrived, the woman whom police positively identified as Jones, based on the picture published on New Zealand Herald, told them that her boyfriend, identified as a certain Mr. Didulo, left her and went to Passi City.

She claimed that she was afraid that the man will not return for her. She also claimed not have to have taken her lunch since her boyfriend brought her money amounting to P20,000. The police then texted her boyfriend, who arrived the same day.

"After February 6, we don't know what happened," Valerio said. Based on immigration records, Jones left Manila for New Zealand last April 13, 2011 on board a Qantas airline. "But we are still conducting a follow-up investigation to unearth the truth," he said.

As it is, Valerio however said it was hard to believe that a woman her age could endure to have nine men taking turns in sexually molesting her. Citing the current rate of commercial sex workers in Iloilo City, he said it would be hard to believe that someone would pay P5,000 for a 39-year-old woman. "We're not saying it's impossible. We're just basing our judgment on the current trend," he said.

Other claims

In the same newspaper, Jones said the room where she was kept was full of bugs and insects and the food-which came once every two days-often contained "creepy crawlies".

Jones was quoted as saying, "It was so bad, I doubt even dogs would have eaten it. Even now, I still wake up shivering and can still smell the stench of the enclosed room I was kept in ..." She claimed to have lost around 30 kg, dropping from 90kg.

Jones was allegedly taken in by a women's refuge centre and stayed at the Haven National Centre for Women before receiving help from the US Embassy to return to New Zealand. The Embassy confirmed that it helped Ms Jones in the Philippines.

Immigration New Zealand's general manager (fraud and compliance), Peter Elms said Jones was holding a British passport and the department helped with her re-entry into the country.

Jones was born in the UK but moved to Auckland then later moved to the United States and worked in business management and computer technology in Alaska before her trip to the Philippines.

The newspaper further quoted Philippines consul-general Emilie Shi who said "the sex trafficking problem in her country (Philippines) involved mainly 'domestic people', and cases involving foreign nationals were 'extremely rare.'"

Shi added: "As with any society, there will always be a few scumbags who run illegal rings and try to make a profit at the expense of other human beings. … To be safe, it is advisable to check with the embassy here before going there for holiday or for business, if there are any doubts at all."