THE supposed female accomplice of accused Australian pedophile Peter Gerald Scully has been taken to a detention facility at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Cagayan de Oro City following a brief court appearance on Friday, January 27.
Liezyl Margallo, a native of Claveria, Misamis Oriental, and of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on January 25 by virtue of 16 arrest warrants issued by the Regional Trial Court Branch 37, Cagayan de Oro City.
The arrest warrants were issued last year and authorities have been on manhunt operations for several months.
Margallo was arrested Wednesday by law enforcement agents in Malapascua Island, Cebu.
City Prosecutor Merlyn Uy said Margallo’s arrest came after an informant tipped the NBI about her new modus operandi in which she offers her rented house to tourists, especially foreign backpackers, for free and then persuades them to try "other services" in exchange for money.
"Iya nang gi-advertise online ang iyang pag-offer og free sa iyang rented house for backpackers and offered other services mao na iyang souce of living. Usahay mang-scam pud daw siya mangayo og advance dayon dili tunghan (She advertised online that she offers free stay on her rented house for backpackers and other services as her source of living. Sometimes, she scams them by asking for advance payment afterwards, she doesn't show up to them)," Uy said.
Margallo is one of the principal suspects in the 69 cases filed by the Department of Justice, 59 of which were filed in Cagayan de Oro City; eight in Bukidnon and two in Surigao.
Margallo is facing eight counts of qualified trafficking in persons, nine counts of child abuse; five counts of indecent shows, obscene exhibitions and publications; five counts of syndicated child pornography; 25 counts of photo and video voyeurism; and five counts of rape by sexual assault (instrument or object rape).
Uy said that the majority of the 58 cases in the city include Margallo.
Margallo and Scully were both arrested in 2015 but the former was freed after no cases were filed soon after.
Scully had pending arrest warrants for six qualified trafficking cases and rape by sexual assault charges.
Scully is already detained at the City Jail.
"Sa mga videos nga nakuha sa interpol mas kasagaran makita si Margallo nga maoy ga-abuse on cam kay si Scully ang ga-take (In the videos retrieved by Interpol, Margallo is seen abusing on camera because Scully is taking the videos)," Uy added.
For his part, Regional State Prosecutor Jaime Umpa said justice will be served sooner to all victims after the arrest of Margallo.
Umpa said he designated three prosecutors to handle the prosecution.
Margallo will be transferred to the city jail on Monday, January 30.