Efforts to clamp down on human trafficking in Cebu finally paid off after a regional trial court yesterday convicted a man for operating a brothel in barangay Banilad in Cebu City.
Valentino Martin was found guilty of violating Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 and was meted an imprisonment of 20 years.
Martin, a native of Tarlac City, was also ordered by Judge Simeon P. Dumdum Jr. of RTC Branch 7 to pay P1 million fine.
In his decision, Dumdum found the evidence presented by the prosecution sufficient to prove the guilt of Martin who was tagged to as the owner and manager of a boarding house on J. Panis Street that was infamously known as “Gate 3”.
“Martin was clearly the ring leader. He did not meet the thrust of the prosecution’s evidence head on and put up only an improbable defense,” the judge said.
Two of Martin’s alleged cohorts — Loida and Shiela Valencia — were set free for insufficiency of evidence against them.
The fourth accused, Mariane Diaz, was dropped from the case after she died about a year ago.
During yesterday’s promulgation, siblings Loida and Shiela sobbed heavily as the decision was read aloud by a court staffer.
Martin was heard admonishing the two: “Laya na nga kayo, umiiyak pa kayo. (You’re already free yet you’re still crying).”
The Gate 3 case is the first to be handled in Cebu by the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) which was formed in September 2010.
Set up
As he was led out by jail guards, Martin insisted on his innocence and claimed that he was just set up by the police and the International Justice Mission (IJM), a US-based non-government organization that is active in the campaign against human trafficking.
Defense counsel Noel Archival said he will appeal the RTC decision.
He added that the Valencia sisters will also file a “multi-million damage suit” against IJM for destroying their reputation.
IJM, he said, has no personality to engage in the practice of law in the Philippines.
“IJM is a foreign-owned corporation based in Virginia, USA. In other words, they are not allowed to do business here. Only Filipino citizens are allowed to practice law in the country,” Archival told reporters.
Responding to Archival’s allegations, lawyer Andrey Sawchenko, IJM national director, said “We’ll wait and see what case they will file.”
Although IJM was active in prosecuting the case, a Filipino lawyer, Mark dela Pena, was the one appearing in court.
Sawchenko, along with Regional State Prosecutor Fernando Gubalane and Assistant City Prosecutor Liceria Lofranco-Rabillas, were present during the promulgation yesterday.
While two were acquitted by the court, Sawchenko expressed elation that the primary accused was convicted.
“We respect the court decision. The court has recognized the trafficking acts. It sends a signal that this is a serious crime,” he said.
Sawchenko lauded the efforts of the Philippine National Police as well as the prosecutors for their efforts in the case.
Prosecutor Rabillas, who is a member of the Iacat and head of Task Force for Anti-Trafficking at the Mactan Cebu International Airport, said Archival have been questioning IJM’s legal personality even before the accused were arraigned.
But Rabillas said Judge Dumdum “consistently: denied the plea to exclude the IJM from the case.
“IJM has been a huge help in our campaign against human trafficking,” she said.