Metro Manila’s highest ranking police official on Thursday denied allegations that his men were protecting Chinese prostitution rings operating in the country.
“As the regional director, I can guarantee that the theory that there are personnel within our ranks who collude with Chinese prostitution syndicates is an unvalidated assumption,” Police Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director, said in a statement sent to reporters.
Sinas added that the NCRPO would continuously raid Chinese-run establishments that prostitute women to get rid of sex syndicates. According to him, the NCRPO was also cleansing its ranks of erring policemen.
“We have a dedicated unit working on this and guaranteed, there is zero tolerance among our ranks and I will personally ensure that such personnel will be identified and made to suffer the consequences of their ill actions,” he said.
Philippine National Police chief Archie Gamboa has also taken “strong exception” to Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ “theory” that policemen were “colluding with syndicates and protecting groups involved in Chinese prostitution in the country,” according to PNP spokesperson Police Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac.
The PNP’s Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, as well as local police units, have been “at the forefront of law enforcement efforts to suppress not only index crime incidents, but also crimes against public morals including prostitution, gambling and illegal vices,” Banac said.
“The WCPC has been empowered even more with orders from the Chief PNP to lead the campaign against prostitution and trafficking of Filipino women, particularly by syndicated activities operated by foreign groups.” Banac added.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, meanwhile, tasked the PNP to enhance women’s and children’s desks nationwide and create a special unit to look specifically into Philippine offshore gaming operations (Pogo), which had been blamed for the thriving flesh trade involving Chinese nationals.
Hontiveros, the Senate committee chair on women, children, family relations and gender equality, opened on Tuesday an inquiry into the emergence of sex rings that cater mainly to male Chinese Pogo workers.
“If plenty of [these groups] get away or go unnoticed, are not under surveillance, [their establishments are] not raided, the women are not rescued, you would have doubts too that there may be personnel even within our PNP who are also colluding and being corrupted, profiting from it, even protecting those trafficking and prostitution syndicates,” she said in a TV interview. —With a report from Jeannette I. Andrade