NBI raids Club Harem, nabs dancers, manager

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested 28 suspected prostitutes, including four minors, working as dancers and the floor manager of a high-end bar in Mandaue City for performing an indecent show.

NBI operatives swooped down on Club Harem Bar and Restaurant in Subangdaku, Mandaue City Thursday night after several weeks of surveillance to prove that the said establishment is used as a prostitution den.

Nicole Tan Cabillan, floor manager of the established and referred to as "Mama-sang", was arrested by the NBI operatives together with the 28 dancers and Guest Relations Officers after she accepted the P5, 000 marked-money purportedly as bar fine.

Rodolfo Rivas, Jr., the owner of the club, was not arrested during the raid but he was charged for violation of Republic Act 9208 otherwise known as Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 and for violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code otherwise known as conducting indecent shows.

Cabillan was also slapped the same charges before the Mandaue City Prosecutor's Office yesterday afternoon.

The 28 suspected prostitutes were turned over by the NBI to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

NBI operatives, who posed as customers witnessed nude shows performed by dancers on stage last Thursday evening. NBI regional director Medardo de Lemos said that they were able to establish that the establishment is used a front for prostitution activities because Cabillan told his agents that dancers could be taken out of the club for sexual intercourse upon payment of the bar fine.

NBI agents Jesus Manapat and Florante Gaoiran posed as customers and occupied one of the VIP rooms of the club clearly viewing the dancers performing on stage naked while the other operatives were already stationed outside.

The two asked Cabillan if they could take out one of the GROs they have picked from the viewing room.

Manapat and Gaoiran then paid P5,000 to Cabillan supposedly as bar fine, but before she could finish counting the money she was placed under arrest. The NBI operatives then brought Cabillan and the 28 suspected prostitutes to their headquarters.

A dental examination conducted by Dr. Bonifacio David, head of the dental department of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, revealed that four of the 28 dancers are minors. David said that one of them is only 16 years old based on her records in the hospital where she was a patient and examined last January 31, 2005.

David said that when they examined the said minor last year she was only 15 years old. David however said that the birthday was inconsistent with the age. According to him, he only relied mainly on the recorded history of the patient.

David however said that he could not accurately determine the age of the four suspected minors submitted for dental examination. But, he said their "unerupted" molars manifest that they have not yet reached the age of 18.

David explained that the third molars will only erupt when a person is 18 to 21 years old. - Fred P. Languido