A 38-YEAR-OLD woman was arrested for allegedly engaging in online pornography through a cell phone inside her house in Barangay Ibabao, Cordova town, Cebu yesterday morning.
Seven minors, three of whom are boys, were rescued by authorities led by operatives of the Women and Children’s Protection Center (WCPC) Visayas Field Unit.
The oldest is 17 years old, while there are minors who are below 10 years old. They were brought to the Department of Social Welfare and Development 7 office for stress debriefing after their rescue.
In September last year, seven minors were rescued by the WCPC from a cybersex den in Barangay Ibabao also in Cordova.
Senior Supt. Romeo Perigo, WCPC Visayas Field Unit chief, said the suspect, Meliza Ogaob, used camera phones to send pornographic materials to her clients from other countries.
“One of the rescued minors is 17 years old. She said she was only 13 years old when she started to work for the suspect,” he said in Cebuano.
Ogaob allegedly charged US$50 dollars, or about P2,575, per client. She also performed lewd acts with the minors.
After they were told about the suspect’s alleged cyberpornography business, Perigo said they conducted a surveillance for two weeks and confirmed the information.
The police official refused to divulge the law enforcement unit that informed them.
Perigo said they conducted an entrapment by transacting with the suspect online. After she agreed to be paid with US$50 dollars, the operatives barged inside the house, rescued the minors and arrested the suspect.
Perigo said two to three cell phones were recovered from the suspect. These devices will be examined for other evidence.
Ogaob has no other job, while her common-law husband is a fisherman.
She will be facing complaints for violating Republic Act (RA) 10364, or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012, and RA 10175, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. (KAL)