CEBU (Updated) -- A 41-year-old German national was nabbed for sexually abusing children and distributing child sexual exploitation materials through the internet.
Operatives from the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Women and Children Protection Center–Visayas Field Unit (WCPC-VFU) arrested the suspect (name withheld to protect his son, who is one of the victims) inside his house in Sitio Suba-Masulog, Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City around noon Wednesday, July 10.
They found child sex abuse materials stored on the suspect's electronic devices. His two-year-old son, who is shown in some of the sexually explicit images, is now under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
WCPC-VFU Chief Police Colonel Romeo Perigo said they were tipped by the Australian government about the man's illegal activities.
He said the Queensland Police Service found out sometime in 2017 that the suspect had been producing sexually explicit images of Filipino children. They then coordinated with the German police, WCPC and the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (Picacc).
The Picacc serves as a hub for domestic Philippine and foreign law enforcement collaborative efforts to combat online sexual exploitation of children (Osec). The Picacc is a joint initiative between the National Bureau of Investigation and the PNP supported by the Australian Federal Police, United Kingdom National Crime Agency and non-government organization International Justice Mission.
“When we received the information, we conducted surveillance and online engagement. After we confirmed, we applied for a search warrant against him,” Perigo said.
The search warrant was issued by Judge Ramon Daomilas of Cebu City Regional Trial Court 11 on July 8.
The online trafficker’s arrest came two weeks after police rescued two Filipino children, young siblings ages six and seven, who were victims of Darek (not his real name).
The WCPC-VFU rescued the two children last June 24 in Talisay City.
All the children are in the care of the DSWD and are receiving trauma-informed interventions.
The German national will face charges for violation of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
Perigo said the suspect, believed to be a computer engineer, is also wanted in other countries, prompting the Bureau of Immigration to join the operation.
“Today's arrest of a German national shows the global nature of the crime of online sexual exploitation of children,” said Perigo. “We are fully committed to arresting not only the local online traffickers, but also foreigners residing in the Philippines who are exploiting our children online. May today's arrest serve as a warning not only for foreign perpetrators living in our country, but for all online predators around the world. This crime does not pay. You will be arrested...it's just a matter of time.”
Recovered from the house were laptops and cameras, which have been subjected to forensic examination.
Perigo said the suspect has a Filipina live-in partner and has been living in Lapu-Lapu City since October 2018.
Regional Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane also took part in the implementation of the search warrant, representing the Department of Justice’s Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking in Persons (Iacat)-Central Visayas.
Also supporting Thursday's operation were the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group-Crame, Regional Anti-Cybercrime Office-Central Visayas, Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, DSWD, Bureau of Immigration–Cebu District, and International Justice Mission.
Occurring in different communities in the Philippines, Osec is a crime that violates the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act or Republic Act (RA) 9208 (as amended by RA 10364), which comes with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of P2 million to P5 million.
Typical Osec offenses also violate RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012), RA 9775 (Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009) and RA 7610 (Child Abuse Law). Each of these violations have penalties equivalent to 12 to 40 years imprisonment. (With PR/SunStar Cebu)