CEBU CITY, Philippines—Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) arrested on Thursday morning two mothers and a teenaged woman for allegedly taking lewd photographs of their daughters and other children in two villages in Lapu-Lapu City. Two of the suspects were arrested inside their respective residences in Barangay Soong while the other suspect was collared in Barangay Babag.
One suspect was the former wife of an Irish national where the lewd photos were traced from by the London police who, in turn, alerted the NBI-7.
Although the law against human trafficking allows the media to identify the suspects, the Philippine Daily Inquirer is withholding their names since the victims involve their children and nephews.
Augusto Isidoro, NBI-7 assistant director who is on top of the operation, said they acted on the complaint of the London police who recovered several lewd photographs of minors from an Irish national who was arrested in the United Kingdom a couple of years ago.
London police was able to trace the identities of the minors to Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
After conducting surveillance operations for three months, the NBI-7 secured a search warrant from Executive Judge Toribio Quiwag of Lapu-Lapu City. The agents conducted simultaneous raids at the residences of the three suspects around 6 a.m. on Thursday.
The operation was conducted in coordination with the Department of Justice, the Inter-agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), the International Justice Mission, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The NBI recovered laptops, computers, and cellphones which will be subjected to forensic examination. Isidoro said they found some lewd photographs of minors as well as receipts of foreign money remittances at the residences of the suspects.
Charges for violating Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9208) and Anti-Child Pornography Act (RA 9775) were filed at the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office.
The 31-year-old former wife of the Irish national admitted that her husband was into taking lewd photos of minors when they got married in the Philippines in 2009.
She said the other suspect introduced the foreigner to her. She said she decided to annul her marriage with the Irish national when she learned what he was doing.
“He merely used me so he could lure more children whom he would strip naked before taking their pictures,” she said.
She said she has had no contact with the Irish national for several years now.
A group of children, including her two children, was taken from her custody on Thursday. The NBI will verify if they were among those whose lewd photographs were being circulated in UK.
The other suspects admitted knowing the Irish national but denied taking part in hiring children to pose naked for a fee. CDG