A criminal case for “qualified trafficking in persons” was filed against a couple, whose four minor children were rescued from them, before the Office of the Bacolod City Prosecutor on Monday afternoon, July 17, PCol. Noel Aliño, Bacolod police director, said.
The Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center – Visayas Field Unit had arrested the couple and rescued their four minor children at Espinos Village 2 in Brgy. Taculing, Bacolod City, on Friday.
The parents were arrested for the online trafficking and sexual exploitation of their minor children, Aliño said.
A criminal case for Qualified Trafficking in Persons under Section 4 in relation to Section 6 of Republic 9208 (an act to institute policies to eliminate trafficking in persons especially women and children) as amended by RA 1186 was filed, he said.
DIGICAST NEGROS is withholding the names of the 28-year-old mother and 35-year-old father, who is a driver, to protect the identities of their children.
The children, a 9-year-old girl, 6-year-old boy and 2-year-old fraternal twins, who were brought to the Balay Pasilungan will be provided with counseling, City Social Welfare Officer Sally Abelarde said.
The Australian Federal Police who monitored the activities of the Bacolod couple alerted Philippine authorities, Abelarde said.
There are international groups monitoring online exploitation of children, she said.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said subjecting children to online sexual exploitation will scar them for life “especially if they understand later on the gravity of what they were told to do.”
“I’m sure there is a great effect on the child in the future, I hope the victims will be able to undergo therapy, that should be the focus right now,” he said.
“It is very unfortunate, the only reason I can think why they (the parents) allowed that is for financial reasons…but then again we should not allow that… it shows how lazy they are actually in taking care of their children,” he said.
Definitely what the parents did is not an option, Lacson said.
There is a law against what the parents did and they will have to face up to it, he said.
“I hope what happened in Bacolod is isolated and I hope it is not prevalent here in Negros Occidental,” the governor added.
Bacolod Councilor Celia Flor said parents should love and respect their children, children have rights and there are laws that protect them.
This is a warning to parents that such abuse will not be tolerated, Flor said.
There are some parents who think because it is done online, they will not be caught, she said.
What they did will cause terrible trauma to the children, Flor said.*