'Dead' murder suspect, 2 others nabbed for human trafficking

MANILA, Philippines - Agents of the Anti-Trafficking Task Force arrested three suspected human traffickers in Mindanao and rescued 20 of their latest Malaysia-bound victims in a Presidential Anti-Organized-Crime Commission-supervised operation in Zamboanga City.

PAOCC executive director Chief Superintendent Reginald Villasanta identified the suspects as Hadji Arraji Jammang Kamman, a hotel owner and boat operator in Zamboanga City, who is also wanted for six counts of murder and a case of attempted murder case, and Marcial Gemareno and Danny Sanrojo.

Villasanta said the cases filed against Kamman, including one for the murder last year of Hadji Pambit Omar, were dismissed because of an affidavit informing that he is already dead was filed before the local court.

Villasanta said an operation at the Lateraza Hotel and in Talaban, Mercedes area in Zamboanga City resulted to the rescue of nine women recruited by the suspect to work as club attendants in Labuan, Malaysia.

The women were to be smuggled through Sabah, Malaysia by the suspect on board his own vessel, he added.

Villasanta said they launched the operation following a tip from another victim of Kamman who was rescued in Zamboanga City last January 23 and placed under the custody of the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF).

On the other hand, Gemerano and Sanrojo were arrested at the Zamboanga City port while they were escorting 11 persons they recruited to work as restaurant and palm oil plantation workers in Sandakan, Malaysia.

“This is part of our Case Operation Curacha aimed at neutralizing human traffickers in Mindanao particularly those based in Zamboanga City who are particularly notorious for sending Filipinas to brothels and other suspected sex joints in Malaysia including Sabah,” Villasanta said.

The Zamboanga City operation was conducted by operatives of the Sea-Based Anti-Trafficking Task Force composed of agents from the Department of Justice, the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime, Department of Social Welfare and Development, the VFF, the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Naval Intelligence Service Group, coast Guard and the Zamboanga City Police Office.

The suspects will be charged for violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act.

The rescued women were placed under the custody of the local social welfare unit.