NBI indicts owners, managers of bars for women trafficking

THE owners and managers of the three bars, where more than 20 women were rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation Thursday night, were charged at the Mandaue City Prosecutors Office with violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.

The three were Jovito Pilapil, Marcos Pilapil and Jose Quiapo, the registered owners of Jovy's Mini Bar, Sunrise Angel, and Smiles Angel bars, respectively.

The bar managers who were also caught during the raid, for receiving the marked money from NBI agents posing as customers, were also included in the case.

They were Maria Annabelle Cañete, Virginia Hermata and Judith Portillo, all of who allegedly served as pimps also to the dancers of the bars.

More than just entertaining customers by dancing naked, the women in these bars also does sex with customers for a fee. The cost of having sex with a woman ranged from P1,200 to P3,500.

The mangers or the pimps allegedly collect the money before they allowed the women to go out with the customers.

The NBI agents went undercover by posing as customers and asking the managers if they could take out some of the women. When the managers received the payment in advance, the agents then arrested them.

NBI executive officer Ernesto Macabarre said the operation was in response to the request of ECPAT (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking), a non-government organization that protects women and children from trafficking and prostitution. - Fred P. Languido/RAE