DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines— "Andrea," an assumed name for security reason, is a Filipina or a Dumagueteña who rose to international spotlight after confessing to CNN, in a recent interview, of being a cybersex victim.
"I was so embarrassed because I don't want others to see my private parts. The customer told me to remove my blouse and to show him my breasts," she narrated in a CNN report, written by Sunshine de Leon, last July 18.
CNN further quoted her as saying that she had been lured away from her mountain village by a cousin who said he would give her a well-paid job as a babysitter in the city.
Andrea, now 20, was only 14 years old when she was involved in cyber-sex activities, the report from CNN said, adding that she, along with seven other girls, aged 13 to 18, were paid $56 (P2,417) per minute to satisfy "the sexual fantasies of men around the world."
After this expose at CNN, Sr. Supt. Alet Virtucio, officer-in-charge of the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office, yesterday urged Andrea to coordinate with the local police in order to track down and arrest her former employers.
"We strongly recommend Andrea to report to the nearest PNP station and file a formal complaint there," Virtucio told The Freeman. "The reports say that she was from Dumaguete, but we could not track down the exact location in the city," he said, adding that the only way for the police to track down her former employers and arrest them is to openly report her story to the authorities.
Virtucio said he also instructed intelligence personnel to tighten and enhance their monitoring, and that his office has already coordinated with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) as they have the capabilities and the mandate to track down crimes committed through the internet.
Andrea's story went abuzz in social media, particularly among Dumagueteños, with some users getting alarmed that sex tourism may flourish in this city. "This will attract sex tourism in Negros Oriental. Our tourists will surely multiply," a social media user from Dumaguete said.
"Nagiging culture na ang pagpunta ng foreigners dito kasi people are willing to do anything for a high price, and it gives our province and the country a bad reputation," Virtucio further told The Freeman.
"We always say, the community is the police, and the police is the community. We could not do this alone without the support of the community," Virtucio added. (FREEMAN)