Two meted life for trafficking

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Trial Court convicted yesterday two alleged pimps for recruiting girls for sexual exploitation and the owner of New Perlito’s Lodge for allowing the use of the establishment in the promotion of trafficking in persons.

Judge Bienvenido Saniel Jr. found Marlyn Buhisan and Marichu Tawi guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Section 4 in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 9208 (Anti-trafficking in Persons Act).

Buhisan and Tawi were sentenced to suffer life imprisonment and were ordered to pay a P2 million fine.

Saniel also held Antonio Planteras liable of violating Section 5 of RA 9208 for allowing the use of New Perlito’s Lodge to be used as venue for sexual exploitation and ordered that he suffer 15 years of imprisonment and pay a P500,000 fine.

Buhisan and Tawi refused to comment on the verdict while Planteras, who planned to file a motion for reconsideration, claimed innocence.  The three were arrested on April 28, 2009 during an entrapment operation by the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, Carbon Police Station personnel, and several barangay tanods.

PO3 Jose Erwin Dumaguit said that sometime in the second week of March 2009, their office received information that trafficking in persons and sexual exploitation were rampant at New Perlito’s Lodge.

Acting on the report, the police conducted surveillance to verify the report, leading to an April 28, 2009 entrapment operation that resulted to the arrest of Buhisan, Tawi, and Planteras and the rescue of four girls, including a 17-year-old minor.

According to court records, the policeman who acted as poseur-customer arrived at the lodge around 9:45 p.m. and was approached by Tawi, who allegedly offered girls for sex.

When the policeman went with Tawi upstairs, he saw Plan-teras behind a counter while his wife was doing the laundry in a nearby comfort room.

In the course of discussion, Dumaguit said, Buhisan appeared and joined the negotiation. Tawi then left and came back minutes later bringing one girl.

The raiding team struck immediately after the poseur-costumer handed the marked money to Tawi and Buhisan.

PO1 Ariel Llanes and PO2 Linda Almohallas corroborated Dumaguit’s testimony.

A 17-year-old girl, on the other hand, also testified that she came to know Buhisan and Tawi as alleged pimps when she went to Colon Street looking for her sister to ask money for food.

The girl said her sister was a sex worker and that Buhisan convinced her to join because she needed money. She said it was Buhisan and Tawi who looked for her customers.

The minor said she was paid P300 per customer but gets only P200 of the amount as the P100 was Buhisan and Tawi’s share for acting as her pimps.

In her defense, Tawi said she, too, is into prostitution and that she knew the minor because they were together looking for customers in Colon Street at night. She denied that she recruited her for prostitution.

Planteras, on the other hand, said any knowledge about the crime he was found guilty of, saying he was just seated on a chair by the counter of his lodge when he was arrested for trafficking.

His wife, who was also charged before the court, was exonerated due to insufficiency of evidence.

Buhisan, on the other hand, said, she was just a helper at the lodge and in exchange was given free lodging and meals.

Saniel, though, was not convinced.

“In sum, the prosecution in these cases has indubitably established beyond reasonable doubt that Planteras, Jr. as well as Buhisan and Tawi are guilty as charged in their respective information. The court is morally convinced of their guilt,” read the decision.

The case was among those decided upon in the observance of “Judgment Day” yesterday, which was graced by Supreme Court Administrator Midas Marquez.

Judgment day

Aside from Cebu City RTCs, the courts in Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City and Bogo City also participated in the Judgment Day, whose objective was to help decongest the jails and ease the growing problem of overcrowding.

Marquez told the media that he came to Cebu to see for himself the result of the innovative approach.

The SC has earlier issued guidelines in decongesting jails, particularly the enforcement of the rights of the accused to bail and to a speedy trial.

Marquez also said he came to Cebu to likewise know the schedule of the Cebu City RTCs and Municipal Trial Court in Cities’ (MTCCs) transfer to the third and fourth floors of Qimonda IT Center building at the North Reclamation Area. — (FREEMAN)