Robert C. Dejon | May 30, 2022
A ten (10) year old girl was amongst the five (5) women rescued by the Office of the Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) of the PNP Regional Office (PRO-8) during an entrapment and rescue operation around 10:20PM May 24 at Mega Touch Massage Clinic, Burgos St. Brgy. 23, Tacloban City.
The owner and the cashier of the said massage clinic were also arrested for violations of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 (RA 10364).
Initial investigation disclosed that the establishment disguised as a massage clinic but actually operates as a prostitution den wherein attendants were hired and maintained as masseuses but offered sexual services to its customers. Two (2) women, both of legal age, single, and residents of Surigao del Sur were caught in flagrante delicto during the operation.
Rescued from the operation were five (5) females including a 10-year old girl. The rescued victims were then turned-over to the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) for their protective custody.
Meanwhile, the arrested suspects have undergone medical examination and are now under custody of the Tacloban City Police Office – Police Station 2 in Abucay while charges for violations of RA 10364 were already filed through inquest proceedings with the City Prosecutors Office.
The said operation was carried out by the joint elements of the PRO-8 WCPD headed by its Chief, Police Major Analiza C. Armesa; Regional Legal Service Office (RLSO-8) Assistant Chief and Legal Officer, Police Lt. Col. Anna Luisa A. Centino; and Police Col. Michael P. Palermo, Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the TCPO.
Elements from the Regional Inter-Agency Committee against Trafficking (RIACAT-8), Regional Anti-Trafficking Task Force (RATTF-8), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE-8), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD-8), CSWDO-Tacloban and the Business Permits and Licensing Division (BPLD) of Tacloban City assisted in the opeations.
PRO-8 Regional Director, Police Brig. Gen. Bernardo M. Banac, commended the operating team for the successful operation. "This is a warning to all that our police officers are working hand in hand with other government agencies in suppressing any criminalities and illegalities in their respective places. Also, I am appealing to our parents and their daughters alike to never resort to any illegal activities despite poverty."
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