2 foreigners nabbed, 2 minors rescued

CEBU, Philippines — Two foreign nationals were arrested while two teenage girls were rescued by police in two separate operations in Cebu City and Santander town, Cebu.

British national, 38-year-old Sebastian Lai Cole, was caught holding hands with a 14-year-old girl in Puerto del Sur Port in Barangay Liloan, Santander Thursday afternoon.

Police Senior Inspector Margienette Yosores said Cole failed to present documents to prove his filial relationship with the minor, resulting in his arrest.

Cole reportedly told police that he employed the girl as his tourist guide in Dumaguete City.

“Nagpasumangil si Cole nga gihimo pa daw ni niya nga tour guide ang menor de edad. Kadudahan gyud,” Yosores said.

Cole is facing charges for violating Section 10 of Republic Act (RA) 7610 or The Anti-Child Abuse Law. He is currently in police custody.

The teenager girl, on the other hand, was turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

In a separate operation, 51-year-old American national, Charles Gergley, was arrested inside his apartment in Barangay Zapatera, Cebu City Wednesday.

It was a joint operation by the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), the Women and Children’s Protection Center (WCPC), and the non-government organization International Justice Mission (IJM).

Superintendent Romeo Perigo, WCPC chief, said a search warrant on Gergley resulted in the seizure of several gadgets containing pornographic materials.

Gergley’s victims are aged 14 to 16 years old.

Perigo said Gergley’s would visit depressed area giving candies to children and cajoling parents to get their trust.

 “Ang iya style is magbike-bike siya sa mga poor communities and manghatag candies sa mga batan-on and sa parents para maamigo niya, “he said.

WCPC rescued one of Gergley’s victims, a 16-year-old girl, in a follow-up operation on Thursday.

Gergley is facing charges for violating Sections 2 and 4 of RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The charges were filed yesterday.

Cops are also eyeing at filing of child abuse charges against Gergley.

PRO-7 Director, Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas said cases of child prostitution are not prevalent in the region despite the said arrests.

Woman charged

Meanwhile, the Prosecutor’s Office has charged a 24-year-old woman before the court for allegedly forcing minors to pose naked in front of a web camera, while foreign customers were watching.

Assistant City Prosecutor Sheilamar Saliganan-Abadia held accused, a resident of Lapu-Lapu City, after finding probable cause of child pornography.

“…that on the basis of their sworn statements and other documentary evidence submitted, there is a reasonable ground to believe that the crime charged has been committed and that the accused is probably guilty thereof,” she stated.

Abadia recommended no bail against the accused.

In their complaint, the Women and Children Protection Center-Visayas Field Unit (WCPC-VFU) said they received reports on January 24 this year that the accused allegedly engaged her own son and another minor in live sex shows through the internet.

The FREEMAN is withholding the names of the parties due to the nature of the case.

Authorities conducted surveillance on the accused.

On February 26, 2018, WCPC-VFU officers conducted an operation wherein a police decoy contacted the accused through her Facebook Messenger account.

During their conversation, the accused sent sexually explicit photo exposing the genital of a child.

This resulted in the arrest of the suspect and in the filing of child pornography charges against her. — KBQ (FREEMAN)