NBI raids QC ‘aquarium;’ 5 held but boss at large

Five health club personnel were arrested in a recent raid conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation on an alleged prostitution den in Quezon City.

NBI Director Nonnatus Caesar Rojas on Saturday said a total of 42 women, including 19 minors, were working at Grandeur Health Club on Timog Avenue, on the night it was raided for being an alleged front for prostitution.

Arrested in the May 3 operation were Byron Fule, the club manager, and his cashiers and utility boys, who face charges for human trafficking and child abuse.

The owner identified as Rod Silverio remained at large, Rojas said.

The NBI raiding team was assisted by government social workers, and involved undercover agents who posed as customers.

The agents were made to choose among women on display inside an “aquarium” or a glass-paneled room, and were charged P800 to P1,000 for a “massage.”

The women later gave sworn statements saying they were paid as sex workers in the health club. Nancy C. Carvajal