Police file cybersex plaint against internet café owner

CEBU, Philippines - Police yesterday filed a complaint in the Talisay City Prosecutor's Office against an internet café operator for allegedly operating a cybersex den in barangay Tabunok.

Erwin Mercado, 42, a resident of Victoria Village, Tabunok, is now facing violation of RA 9208 or the "Anti-trafficking in person's Act."

The complaint stemmed from last Friday's raid of Mercado's Level-Up internet cafe in Tabunok where three women were allegedly seen inside the cafe's private rooms exposing their breasts in front of a web camera.

The raid was conducted after Talisay City Police Station acting chief Eddie Recamara received reports that some internet cafés in Tabunok operate as cyber sex dens.

Recamara said three women were caught with their upper bodies exposed to web cameras in front of them.

Recamara said the women admitted getting paid $100 (or around P4,200) each by foreign clients after every session.

Mercado and Clifford Caballero, 31, the café's attendant, were detained and police turned over the three women to the station's Women and Children Protection Desk.

Police also seized the cafe's nine Central Processing Units (CPUs), nine keyboards, nine web cameras, nine headsets, four LCD monitors, four serial port VGA cables, 18 power cord wires, and four curtains that were used as covers in the private rooms.

Last April, the city council approved a measure urging all the city's barangay officials to "closely monitor" and "strictly" implement laws pertaining to cybersex in their respective jurisdictions.

The council, through the motion of Councilor Danny Caballero, approved Resolution No. 2011-13-1 for that purpose.

Caballero filed the resolution following reports regarding young women and children falling victim to cybersex. (FREEMAN)