11 girls rescued in resto bar raid

CEBU, Philippines – Eleven women, three of whom were reportedly minors, were rescued in a raid on a bar along Escario Street the other night.

The raid on Stripes Resto Bar was conducted by members of the city police, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and non-government organization International Justice Mission. The rescued women worked as guest relations officer at the bar.

The bar’s floor manager, Glenda Boiser Teo, and its owners Milagros Cortes and a certain David, a foreign national, are now facing charges for violating Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

Only Teo were placed under arrest the other night. The rescued women are now under the care of DSWD.

RA 9208 refers to trafficking in persons as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer or harboring, or receipt of persons with or without the victim’s consent or knowledge, within or across national borders by means of threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of position.”

It further defines human trafficking as “taking advantage of the vulnerability of the person, or, the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation which includes at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, servitude or the removal or sale of organs.”

Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau chief George Ylanan said that the operation also established that prostitution was practiced at the bar, after marked money amounting to P4,000 for services of some “GROs” were successfully exchanged.

“After na consumated ang entrapment operation, ato dayon gi-rescue ang mga GROs unya duna nay gidudahan nga tulo ka minor kay taud taud na man ning gi-surveillance sa atong grupo ug sa International Justice Mission,” Ylanan said.

For her part, Toe denied that they employed minors at the bar.

“Sa akong nahibaw-an mga 18 to 20 man kasagaran ang atong mga GRO pero ang tigdawat hinoon sa mga applikante mao si David,” she said. — Ramil V. Ayuman/JMO  (THE FREEMAN)