Monday, March 03, 2008
Woman arrested in bar may face trafficking case
A WOMAN risks facing a non-bailable criminal case in yet another incident of human trafficking in Cebu City.
The suspect, known as Mabeth (real name withheld pending the resolution of the case, as the law requires), was charged before the Office of the Cebu City Prosecutor last week and, on orders of Assistant City Prosecutor Ma. Luisa Buenaventura, was given until the first week of March to answer the allegations.
Operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 arrested Mabeth last Tuesday night during a raid at the Fire House Club, a dance joint that patrons looking for girls to take out frequent.
Minors
Three underaged females, together with one who just turned 18, were rescued during the operation and are now in the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7. Two of the three minors were only 16 years old. The third was 14.
The NBI conducted the raid upon the request of the International Justice Mission (IJM), a foreign-funded non-government organization formed against human trafficking.
Prior to the raid, an NBI agent posing as a tourist guide and an IJM representative who played the role of tourist went to the bar. They confirmed that offering the services of women, including minors, were among the services Fire House Club provides.
Among the attachments to the complaint against Mabeth is the joint affidavit of the NBI agents Reynaldo Villordon and Bernard dela Cruz, together with Special Investigators Florante Gaoiran, Gregorio Tomagan and Jedidah Hife, who conducted the raid.
Hidden camera
Villordon and dela Cruz, together with a confidential agent, went to the bar late in the evening of Feb. 26. Using a surveillance video camera, they started taking footage inside the bar and selected three ladies to come and sit with them.
Upon seeing that they had made their supposed choices, the suspect, who said she was the bar cashier, approached them to ask if they were interested in taking the girls out and that, if so, the “bar fine” would be P2,700 each.
The agents, on the pretext of agreeing, then took out some P8,100 in cash, including some pre-marked bills, and gave it to her as payment.
“After the subject received and counted the money in agents Villordon and dela Cruz’s presence, agents Villordon and dela Cruz then gave the pre-arranged signal to their comrades, NBI agents and operatives, who were strategically positioned around the perimeter and within striking distance of the club,” the affidavit read. (KNR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (March 3, 2008 issue)
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