As court convicts woman 'trafficker': Group claims victory in fight vs trafficking

CEBU, Philippines – The International Justice Mission has claimed victory in its fight against trafficking of women and children in Metro Cebu areas after the Court convicted a woman for trafficking five women to Malaysia for sexual exploitation.

Lawyer Andrey Sawchenko, IJM Cebu field office director, in a press conference yesterday, said that its project dubbed, "Project Lantern" has provided a strong proof that a law enforcement-based strategy to reduce the prevalence of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children in Metro Cebu areas can and does work.

On October 29, 2010, Regional Trial Court branch 10 Presiding Judge Soliver Peras convicted Sarah Jane Estrada for two cases of trafficking to suffer the penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of P5 million.

Sarah Jane Estrada and sister, Roselyn Estrada, were accused of conniving in recruiting three women on October 3, 2006 and another two women on October 18, 2010 to engage in prostitution and sexual exploitation.

Sarah Jane allegedly said that her sister, Roselyn, just arrived from Malaysia and looked for singers in a band group and offered each of the five women an average pay of P20,000 a week.

While in Malaysia, the women were reportedly engaged in prostitution and as guest relations officers and the accused acted as procurer for different customers for money, profit and other consideration.

Accused is further directed by the court to pay exemplary and moral damages to each of the five complainants in the amount of P500,000.

Roselyn, who is at large, was issued another warrant of arrest by the court for the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7 to arrest the accused at all cost.

Sawchenko said that two more IJM cases in Cebu were awaiting promulgation of judgment and several others are expected to be submitted for decision before the year ends.

As of the end of October 2010, IJM attorneys were assisting in 62 active prosecutions and anticipate having many more convictions in the next several years.

Senior Supt. Augustus Marquez, chief of the Regional Intelligence Division of the Police Regional Office 7, also confirmed that there was really a change in the implementation of the anti-trafficking law when the IJM came into picture when they started operation in 2006.

Marquez said that there is already a public awareness that trafficking is now a serious offense and unlike before that they only charged the victims for vagrancy with penalty of P50.

He urged the media to further disseminate to the people that anti-trafficking law is now strictly enforced in Cebu. 

Regional State Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane also said that during the visit of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in Cebu, she assured him of the full support of her office in the prosecution of anti-trafficking cases. (FREEMAN)