Minor victims visited by kin; Charges readied against Aussie suspect, driver
THE five boys who were rescued from an Australian suspected of committing pedophilia last Friday evening were visited by their parents last Saturday.
Social worker Edna Regudo said the three parents of the five children went to the regional Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) office where the boys are undergoing psychosocial briefing.
“As for now, we still have to explain to them why they are here (in the DSWD) so that they would have less worries,” Regudo said in a phone interview.
The Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (RAHTTF) will check on the travel records of Hilton Munro at the Bureau of Immigration (BID) office.
“We didn’t get any passport from him (Munro),” task force chief Ma. Theresa Macatangay said.
She said they are also urging the public to report any incidents of abuse involving Munro and his driver Gilbert Andrada.
Regudo said the parents presented the birth certificates of their children for verification.
The children were aged 8, 9, 11, 12 and 14, Regudo said. She said they will also verify the records of a 14-year-old who supposedly recruited the children.
The five boys were rescued inside one of the rooms of the Stakili beach resort in Compostela town, northern Cebu.
Police said the suspect would allegedly take nude photos of the boys and have sexual relations with them.
Charges of violating Republic Act 9208 or the Anti-Human Trafficking in Persons Act will be filed against the two men before the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office today.
Munro and Andrada were detained at the Casuntingan police precinct in Compostela town.
They were arrested by the task force in coordination with the DSWD and International Justice Mission (IJM).
The cell phones of Munro, Andrada and the 14 year old were sent to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for examination.
PO1 Dennis Estrada, desk officer of the Casuntingan police precinct said Munro eats with Andrada when the driver’s wife brings him food. Munro talked with his lawyer last week.
The Cebu provincial government will assist on the prosecution of Munro and Andrada, Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale said.
Magpale chairs the Provincial Children and Women’s Commission (PCWC).
She said she will send a representative on Monday to check on the welfare of the rescued boys.
The province’s Gender and Development (GAD) officer Heda Largo said the International Justice Mission (IJM) and authorities from Mandaue City police didn’t inform her of the arrest.
She said her office will first investigate the incident and decide on what assistance they can extend to the victims. /Joy Cherry S. Quito, Jucell Marie P. Cuyos and Peter L.
Romanillos
