‘Torture video’ website owners face raps

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed multiple charges of animal cruelty against a couple allegedly responsible for maintaining a website selling “crush videos” featuring Filipino women engaged in torturing to death different kinds of animals.

Most of the victims were dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, even snakes and frogs, depending on the client’s request.

The “torturers” were clad, either in lingerie, two-piece bikinis, or regular wear.

The NBI Environmental and Wildlife Protection and Investigation Division (EWPID) filed charges of violation of Republic Act No. 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act and Republic Act No. 9147, or the Wildlife Protection and Conservation Act, in the Department of Justice against the alleged operators of the website, Chita (alias Lynlyn Burnok) and Vic Ridon, of Venflor Village, San Fernando City in La Union province.
The charges stemmed from complaints of members of the Animal Welfare Coalition and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), who got wind of the sale of the videos to foreigners over the Internet late last year, and discovered that the women in the videos, as well as the maintainers of the website, were Filipinos.

NBI-EWPID chief Sixto Comia said the couple was identified through the e-mail they used in selling the videos to customers. One e-mail allegedly sent by Lynlyn Burnok even offered to sell a customized video where the client could choose which “crush or torture clip” to buy.

A NBI-EWPID source who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, told the Inquirer that the Ridon’s website temporarily shut down its operations when a complaint was initially filed by Peta in the NBI Ilocos region office after it was discovered that most of the women in the videos came from Northern Luzon.

According to the website, a video sells for $80. Two clips are worth $150, while three clips can be purchased for $200.

The source said the women in the videos are paid from $25 to $1,000 depending on the difficulty of the client’s request.

Apart from the e-mail, a 14-year-old witness helped in identifying the couple.