14 girls rescued from Naga KTV bars

POLICE rescued 14 girls from two different karaoke bars and arrested three bar managers in barangay Gairan, Bogo city, last Saturday night.

Police said seven of the girls are below 18 years old.

In a phone interview, Senior Insp. Maria Theresa T. Macatangay, head of the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force in Central Visayas (RATTF-7) said a tipster informed them about women who worked as commercial sex workers two karaoke bars in the northern Cebu city of Naga.

Macatangay said the minor girls are aged 14 to 16.

After a two-week surveillance, police conducted the raid around 10:30 p.m. Last Saturday leading to the arrest of three bar managers.

Volunteers of the International Justice Mission (IJM) and social workers of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) were present during the raid. Macatangay said the girls wore skimpy clothing.

She said the two bars are just about 500 meters away from each other.

Macatangay said the 14 girls were turned over to social workers of the DSWD.

Macatangay said the three bar managers did not resist arrrest and admitted that minor girls work in their bar.

The three bar managers are now in the detention cell of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7).

Macatangay said the bar managers will be facing criminal charges for alleged violation of Republic Act (RA) 9208 also known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003. /Rhea Ruth V. Rosell, Correspondent