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Friday, March 28, 2003
6 women ‘forced’ into prostitution
By Oscar C. Pineda
THE Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) rescued last Wednesday night six young women from Davao City who were forced to work as prostitutes in a Japanese-owned KTV bar in Lapu-Lapu City.
The rescue team also arrested a Japanese national (not the bar owner) and 14 women working in the bar during the operation.
Japanese tourist Ryohei Sato reportedly visited the said bar three days before he was kidnapped.
The six victims told CIDG team leader Rex Derilo that they were recruited and promised a job in Japan. But when they arrived in Lapu-Lapu City last March 24, they were forced into prostitution “as part of their six-month training.”
Names
With their permission, the victims revealed their names as Joana Marie Matang, 22; Gemma Villamor, 21; Gina Calinawan, 20; Kristene La-sarro, 21, Mary Joy Mendoza, 19; and Maricel Dionesio, 19.
One of them told Sun.Star that the Japanese owner even forced them to strip naked whenever they entertain customers inside the bar in Barangay Basak.
Alleged bar owner Miyami Miyora eluded arrest but operatives arrested another Japanese national, Watashi Wakanay, who is also known as Tsukada Tomoyuki, for obstructing the police operation.
The said bar is managed by a certain Ernie or Tata.
CIDG chief investigator Enrique Lacerna said they are preparing a case for white slavery case against Miyora.
Article 341 of the Revised Penal code defines white slave trade as those who “engage in business or shall profit by prostitution or shall enlist the services of any other for the purpose of prostitution.”
Sex victims
He said enlisting the services of these six victims and forcing them into prostitution qualifies the suspect and his managers for the said crime.
Lacerna said the rest of the women rounded up by CIDG will be charged for vagrancy. He added that Tomoyuki or Wakanay will be charged for fighting with one of the operatives PO3 Delfin Bontuyan during the arrest.
Romy Lato, one of the suspects in the Ryohei Sato kidnap-slay case, told Catmon-Sogod Municipal Circuit Trial Court Judge Alfredo de la Victoria that the Lovely Cats KTV bar was where he fetched Sato last Jan. 27.
When asked during the Sato case clarificatory examination what Lovely Cats is, the suspect told him, “It is where you can find women being displayed.”
(March 28, 2003 issue)
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