9 pimps, sex workers nabbed in entrapment

CEBU, Philippines - Three alleged pimps and six commercial sex workers were arrested by the police in two separate entrapment operations in Cebu City on Wednesday.

Chief Inspector Wildemar Tiu, Fuente Police Station chief, said they conducted the operations after noticing that human trafficking was happening in certain areas in Barangay Capitol Site.

At past 3 a.m. on Wednesday, a police officer on board a private vehicle proceeded to J. Llorente Street as part of the entrapment operation.

The police officer stopped his vehicle and a few minutes later, a suspected pimp approached and offered him a girl he could hire for sex.

The police officer pretended to negotiate with the pimp and offered him P500 for introducing girls to him and his companions.

After the successful negotiation, the police officer handed over the P500 marked money to the pimp who called three girls.

When the ladies approached the car, they were immediately arrested by the police together with the alleged pimp and were brought to Fuente Police Station.

In a separate operation, two alleged pimps and three commercial sex workers were arrested at the corner of Juana Osmeña and Ma. Cristina Streets.

For P500, the pimps agreed to bring the three girls to the police officers, who pretended to be customers. The five suspects were then arrested.

Tiu said he felt pity for the girls after learning that one of them has a one-year-old child and another has seven children.

But according to the police chief, what the suspects have done was against the law and could cause the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases.

“Gumikan g’yud siguro ni sa kalisod, pero sayop man g’yud ni ilang gibuhat. Ato pud gitan-aw ang posibling sakit nga makuha nila, especially kung simbako naa’y mga foreigner nga makustomer nila nga naa’y sakit,” Tiu explained.

Tiu said a pimp can earn up to P500 per transaction while a commercial sex workers gets paid as much as P3,000 per partner.

The suspected pimps will be charged for human trafficking while the three girls for prostitution in violation of Republic Act 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012. (FREEMAN)