More Chinese nationals rescued from ‘sex trade’

CEBU, Philippines — For the second time in less than a month, another set of Chinese nationals allegedly involved in the sex trade were rescued by the authorities in Lapu-Lapu City.

On Tuesday dawn, six Chinese women were rescued while their supposed “handler,” also a Chinese, was arrested after police raided a townhouse in Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City that allegedly hosted illegal activities.

The rescue came just three weeks after 34 female Chinese nationals were also rescued from their three compatriots who allegedly prostituted them at a KTV bar in a compound of a hotel in Barangay Agus.

This time, the six Chinese were rescued from A’s Guesthouse following a concerned citizen’s tip to the police.

Lieutenant Colonel Dexter Calacar, head of the operating team from the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office, said that the tipster had relayed to the police that a group of female Chinese was being offered to male Chinese nationals in exchange for money.

Calacar said that once the transaction is sealed, the women are then allegedly fetched by a van from the guesthouse owned by a certain Jocelyn dela Cruz Araneta.

Acting on this report, police placed the establishment under surveillance. In the course of their investigation, they saw a Chinese man entering the establishment, who was then greeted by a female Chinese who “handled” the girls.

When the handler, later identified as Zhang Huan, 30, instructed the Chinese guy to supposedly “choose” from the ladies, police operatives then swooped down on the suspect.

During the raid, Calacar said, the Chinese were unable to present any proof of their stay in the Philippines as either tourists or workers.

“But their passports showed they arrived sometime in May or June,” Calacar said in Cebuano, adding that the rescued women and their handler had been staying in the place together for quite some time.

Calacar said A’s Guesthouse is a townhouse, just one building with six rooms. Its owner, he added, could not tell the police how long the Chinese had been staying in the establishment.

Calacar said there were more Chinese women staying there but they were able to escape the entrapment.

Araneta promised the police she will cooperate with them in the investigation. But she clarified that she had no involvement in the activities in the rooms.

“She (Araneta) will give a statement. She said she is only after of the rent, the profit. Her only contact was the handler. She confirmed that some vans carrying male Chinese would often drop by the guest house. They would take the girls out,” Calacar said.

Calacar said another informant, a Chinese national who could speak Cebuano, also corroborated the information from the first tipster.

Calacar said they were having a hard time getting more details from the persons involved because they could not speak English.

He also said no Filipino was involved in the alleged trafficking operation.

After the first operation last August 5, Chinese nationals Zeng Dan, Quan Yiquing, Xiuzhu Wei and Xiushen Wei had been accused of violating Republic Act 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003) in relation to RA 10364 or the “Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.”

Zhang is likely to face similar charges. — JMD (FREEMAN)