Sexual trafficking in city is real

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

THE controversial “sex den” issue at the Iloilo Terminal Market, despite the lack of validation and strong evidences, has placed the spotlight on the often overlooked and unreported issue of sexual trafficking of minors and women in Iloilo City.

In a media forum on Tuesday, Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD) of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) confirmed that sexual trafficking especially involving minors have been going on in the metro.

In fact, Police Chief Master Sergeant Debbie Yocogco of WCPD said the composite team composed of Task Force on Moral Values and Formation (TFVMF), City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), and other stakeholders have been conducting entrapment operations to collar pimps or “bugaw” that are behind the sexual exploitation of minors.

Last July, Yocogco said they collared a tricycle driver who has been dealing minors for illegal sexual activities.

According to Yocogco, the tricycle drivers are the one dealing the minors to construction workers in the metro.

“Bale ang ginaubra nila, ginatipon nila mga pulo kabilog and gina-deal nila ang mga minors sa mga construction worker, dayon kadto lang sila sa area and ma-pick-up,” she revealed.

Yocogco said that the price is P1,000 where P800 is divided by the perpetrators while P200 is given to the minors.

While the pimp was already collared, Yocogco warned that such form of sexual exploitation had been existing in other areas of the metro.

“Damo gihapon ang ga-exist sa siyudad, kis-a mga taxi drivers and even private cars,” she said.

WCPD emphasized that persons loitering and wandering the streets, especially during late hours, are highly at risk of being sexually exploited.

From January to September 3, 2019, the WCPD during their daily operations rescued 603 minors from the metro for violating the curfew ordinance.

The Crisis Intervention Unit (CIU) of the CSWDO since 2010 has also catered to around 5,000 children and girls from the metro who were neglected, abused, and in conflict with the law, according to Rara Ganzon, focal person of CSWDO.

CIU also do referrals on the victims who were either sexually abused or violators of the curfew ordinance to the necessary centers.

Ganzon said that ninety percent of the children and girls that were referred to the CIU and enrolled to Family Planning and Organization of the Philippines (FPOP)- Iloilo Chapter tested positive for sexually transmitted infections (STI).

“We have rescued children and girls from the metro and we enrolled them to FPOP and true enough 90 percent that have been rescued have STI. Among the children nadiagnose with STI, may ara kita isa with the worse of gonorrhea and syphilis but naga-agapan,” she said.

Ganzon said that fortunately most of the STI cases have already been treated.

Both Ganzon and the police authorities appealed to the public to help them target the pimps that are behind the sexual exploitation in the metro.

“Tani kon may mabulig man ang community, ginapangayo gid namon nga mafeed gid sila information,” Ganzon said.

As of now, the WCPD and the composite team are working on catching pimps in the metro.

“May ara pa gina-feed sa isa pa gid ka area, makuha ta gid na, mayo man aware ang public, para mani sila,” Yocogco stressed.

Police also underscored the role of parents particularly with the minors, citing the Code of Parental Responsibility Ordinance in the city.

Police Chief Master Sergeant Ruth Laudato of WCPD said the ordinance that puts liability on the parents of the children involved in illegal activities should be strictly enforced.

“If we trace to the roots of the problem, it is the family gid because usually they would go out to the streets because they too are being abused in their own homes,” she said.

She added that they plan to revisit the ordinance and lobby if there is a need of necessary amendments.