4 kids rescued from Belgian national

CEBU, Philippines — Authorities rescued four children and apprehended a 60-year-old Belgian national at the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) yesterday morning in what was suspected to be a case of human trafficking.

Personnel from the International Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) and police officers on duty at the terminal arrested Van Dee Broek after he was found escorting two girls and two boys, aged between 3 and 13, and their aunts, aged 18 and 19.

Dee Broek and the minors were about to take a bus ride for Moalboal town, a popular tourist destination southwest of Cebu City, when authorities swooped down on him at around 9:30 a.m. yesterday.

He was immediately placed under arrest when he failed to present legal documents to prove his filial relationship with the children.

Good intentions

At the police station, Dee Broek vehemently denied allegations he trafficked the minors, saying he only wanted to spend Christmas with the family who was friendly to him.

Dee Broek is a native of Antwerp, Belgium and is now based in Saint Gallen, Switzerland where he works as an electrician. He said he comes over to the Philippines every Christmas and even did volunteer works in the wake of super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.

He said he already knew the children’s parents even before 2008, sent money during the children’s birthdays, and even sponsored the baptism of the youngest kid.

“I am still angry because it's a big mistake,” he said, expressing dismay over his arrest. “I don't know what to do now. It’s the only week to go to the beach before these kids go to school again.”

“To the family, my intentions are clean... Now I don't know what to say about being clean, now I feel angry,” he said.

The FREEMAN is withholding the names of the children and their relatives due to the sensitive nature of the case. But a father of one of the children told this paper that the Belgian national did not have bad intentions toward the children.

In fact, the father said, the foreigner has been supporting his children financially for several years now and also helped build their house.

It was not the first time, he added, that Dee Broek and the children have gone out of town.

The father denied allegations that the children were used for trafficking.

Warning

Police Officer 1 Jhuanna Gonzales of the Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk said the operation was carried out after they got a tip from an IACAT worker.

The IACAT worker said she noticed Dee Broek and the children go in and out of the terminal yesterday, apparently sensing they were being monitored. When they came back inside, the authorities then gave the signal to stage the operation.

Dee Broek is temporarily detained at Carbon Police Station pending the filing of charges in violation of Section 10 paragraph B of the Republic Act 7610 or Acts of Neglect Abuse, Cruelty or Exploitation and Other Conditions Prejudicial to the Child’s Development.

In light of the incident, CSBT Manager Joey Herrera warned locals and foreigners alike never to use the terminal for illegal activities such as trafficking.

Herrera said the terminal’s management, with the help of the staff from the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office, supports the fight against human trafficking.

The terminal chief also said this is not the first time someone suspected to be involved in alleged trafficking activities was apprehended at the facility.  (FREEMAN)