A WIDE network of human traffickers was involved in the operation of the Cagayan de Oro cybersex den that was earlier busted by authorities, probers said.
National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Northern Mindanao has additional cases against three other personalities allegedly involved in the operation of the Barangay Kauswagan cybersex den, which was raided by authorities in April last year.
NBI-Northern Mindanao Director Jose Justo Yap named the three suspects as Jimmy Melba Onghay, owner of the building where the cybersex den was operated; Abdul Barry Usman Imam, a policeman assigned at Camp Alagar; and Yusoph Mama Jr., alias Chris Ibarra.
Earlier, police filed large scale trafficking-in-persons case against the two Swedish nationals accused of operating the cybersex den, including four Filipinos who were allegedly involved in its daily operation. One of the Filipino suspects, a woman, later turned state witness.
As the owner of the building, Onghay was equally liable as are the other suspects under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9208), Yap said.
Imam’s involvement in the cybersex operations wasn’t immediately clear, but at least two witnesses have issued affidavits that implicated the policeman, the NBI official said.
Imam was confirmed to be assigned at the Region Police Office in the region, but had lately been reassigned somewhere in Manila, probers said.
Among the three, however, investigators are taking a deep interest on Mama Jr., who is said to be a law student at the Ateneo de Manila and a resident of Royal House, Barangay Saduc, Marawi City.
Lawyer Chemene Nacua of NBI said Mama was involved in the recruitment of models in Manila, and facilitated the victims’ travel to Cagayan de Oro.
Quoting one of the victims, a member of the prosecution team said Mama was the one giving assurances to the “models” that their job in Cagayan de Oro was “safe”.
Nacua said the three suspects had yet to respond to subpoenas, prompting them to file the charges.
The subpoena for Onghay, she said, was received through the suspect’s lawyer, Oscar Musni; Imam’s through his counsel, lawyer Demosthenes Plando who is based in Iligan City.
Mama Jr., on the other hand, did not bother to answer even through a lawyer.
Further, Nacua said Onghay failed to produce a copy of the lease contract between him and the two Swedish nationals, Bo Stefan Sederholm and Emil Andreas.
Last week, an alliance of women’s organizations expressed concern over the progress of the case, filed on May last year. The case is still on pretrial stage as the court is still deliberating on the motion of the defense to post bail.
Lalae Garcia of Tubaga Movement, a federation of several groups advocating for women’s rights, said the case has been moving at a turtle’s pace and that are “unhappy” about it.
Tubaga expressed confidence that the court would turn down the petition, citing the material evidence confiscated from the cybersex den, including the testimonies of witnesses.
Garcia said they consider it a consolation that the court hears the case every month, noting this was already tolerable compared to other cases that take months before getting another court date. (ALR)