7 arrested, 11 rescued in NBI anti-trafficking operation

MANILA: The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested seven individuals, including a Chinese national, for offering Filipino minors and women of other nationalities for sexual services, during an operation in Quezon City last week. In a press briefing on Monday, NBI Director Jaime Santiago identified the arrested suspects as Moises Bognot, Jermaine Villanueva, Glenn Paolo Solijon, Darwin Tagalog, Lance Clifford Ungriano, Nighjer Teriote, and Chinese national Zhang Wenyou. They were arrested on June 27 by operatives of the NBI-CyberCrime Division (CCD) in a condominium in Quezon City based on a complaint of a non-profit organization La Familia Rescue that certain individuals are engaged in human trafficking, offering minor female victims. Seven Filipino minors aged between 13 and 17, three Russians and one Kazakhstan national, were rescued during the operation. NBI Cybercrime Division Chief, Jeremy Lotoc, said the suspects could be part of an organized crime group manned by Chinese and Russians, and transnational in scope. The group is based in Dubai and headed by a Chinese national, Lotoc said citing an initial investigation. Santiago said the female minors were offered in exchange for PHP5,000, while the Russians and Kazakhstan were trafficked for PHP45,000 each. Lotoc said the foreign nationals entered the Philippines using tourist visas. The suspects are facing charges of violation of the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. Source: Philippines News Agency