Recruiter of Pinatubo girls for Japan arrested

ANGELES CITY — A suspected female recruiter of young Mt. Pinatubo eruption victims in Pampanga for employment in Japan as Yakuza sex slaves was arrested last Friday by policemen while attending a preliminary investigation at the Angeles City Regional Trial Court (RTC) by local police operatives.

Police said the suspect, Josephine Bangayan, 40, of Tondo, Manila was attending the preliminary investigation of a case for illegal possession of prohibited drugs filed against her, Michael Gaerlan and Rose Manaquil of Angeles City, when she was arrested.

Gaerlan and Manaquil were arrested by the police last July 15 during a raid of the office of a recruitment agency at Susan street, Diamond Subdivision here.

During the raid, the police stumbled on the alleged recruitment agency victimizing young girls from some Mt. Pinatubo resettlement areas in Pampanga for employment as sex slaves in Japan.

The recruitment agency’s main office, Mayon Trading International Corp. (MITC) in Gagalangin, Tondo, Manila had no permit to recruit entertainers bound for Japan, according to the police.

Bangayan has denied involvement in the illegal drugs and the illegal recruitment cases. — Ric Sapnu