American, lover nabbed for ‘selling’ girls for sex

Police arrested a 46-year-old American national and his Cebuana girlfriend for allegedly trying to sell the the sexual services of the woman’s two teenage daughters.

Roger James Kweit Kincaid and 36-year-old Joan Paras were arrested Wednesday night in Pelaez Street, barangay Sta. Cruz, Cebu City by members of the Regional Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force.

Police rescued the woman’s two daughters aged 15 and 14, including a 4-year-old girl, all children from a previous relationship.

They were turned over to social workers.

Paras’ 70-year-old mother earlier complained to the police about the couple’s activity, saying Joan started to “sell” her daughters when she began using illegal drugs.

“Mas maayo hinuon nadakpan aron mahipos na siya (They are better off arrested to so her illegal activities will be stopped),” said Paras’ mother.

The minors will undergo psycho-social sessions to deal with their trauma, said Edna Regudo of the Crisis Intervention Unit of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas.

The arrested couple denied the allegations against them.

Paras said her family objected to her relationship with the American.

“Di man na tinuod nga akong gibaligya akong bata,” she said.

Paras said she and the American were just eating barbecue along the road when police showed up to arrest them.

PO3 Etelberto Timago said that before the arrest, the American went to the school of the 14-year-old girl in barangay Basak-Pardo but the girl hid in the toilet to avoid him, which irked the man.

The girl’s teacher called barangay tanods for help but the couple had already left.

The pupil later told police about the alleged abuse going on in her family.

Meanwhile, in Mandaue City, two men were arrested in a police entrapment operation for acting as pimps to sell six women, one of them a minor.

The operation was conducted by the Canduman police, Basak police station and the International Justice Mission.

Police said the suspects Ace Castaneda and Jhunde Luche Nuñez, both 22, were placed under surveillance for two weeks before their arrest Wednesday night.

Police said the two men “sold” the services of six women for P2,500 each. The six women were rescued./CORRESPONDENTS CHITO O. ARAGON, FE MARIE D. DUMABOC AND REPORTER RHEA RUTH V. ROSELL