Three militants indicted for qualified human trafficking

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Fernand Castro has found a probable cause to indict three members of militant groups in Negros Occidental for two counts of qualified trafficking in persons.

Captain Cenon Pancito III, spokesperson of Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID), said that Albert Dela Cerna, Ma. Pilar Dela Cerna, and their daughter Karina Dela Cerna were charged for violation of Section 4 in relation to Section 6 (Qualified Trafficking in Persons) of the Republic Act (RA) 9208 as Amended by RA 10364 also known as the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.

Pancito said that the prosecutor’s resolution came out Wednesday. The case stemmed from the statements of some minors who were rescued during series of raids of militant offices here in October 2019, he added.

In November 2019, rescued minors together with their parents filed a human trafficking complaint before the City Prosecutor’s Office against National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) secretary-general John Milton Lozande, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) secretary-general Noly Rosales, Proceso Quiatzon, Cherryl Catalogo, and the three Dela Cernas.

These individuals were accused of taking advantage of the minors’ vulnerability by deceitfully recruiting them to join illegal activities such as taking up arms against the government, based on the revelations of the victims, Pancito said.

He, however, said that the prosecutor dismissed the criminal complaint against Lozande, Rosales, Quiatzon, and Catalogo for lack of probable cause.

Pancito said that Albert and Karina are already facing separate criminal cases for violation of RA 10591 or Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and RA 9516 or the illegal possession of explosives.

Both suspects are under the custody of Negros Occidental District Jail in Bago City while Ma. Pilar is at large.