2 arrested for sending 11 Pinays into forced prostitution in Malaysia

Two suspected human traffickers were arrested in Laguna province this week for sending 11 Filipinas into forced prostitution in Malaysia.

Vice President Jejomar Binay said Angelita Restoles and Florenciano Ocampo were arrested Tuesday afternoon in Calamba, Laguna.

“Mrs. Restoles allegedly recruited her victims by promising them jobs as waitresses in Singapore, but in reality they were sent to Malaysia to work in a bar owned by Restoles’ daughter and provide sexual services to clients,” Binay, the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers' concerns, said in an article posted on the Office of the Vice President website Friday.

He said the arrest followed the rescue and repatriation last weekend of 11 Filipinas forced to work as prostitutes in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

The two now face charges of qualified trafficking.

In the meantime, Binay said the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) is now reviewing the Bureau of Immigration’s offloading guidelines “to strengthen the process and plug loopholes as the victims were able to leave the country without proper documentation.”

Arrest

Effecting the arrest were operatives of the IACAT and the Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

Binay said he instructed IACAT to arrest Restoles and Ocampo after the 11 victims were repatriated Saturday. One of the victims' parents had sought his help last October.

Quoting the victim's mother, Binay said Restoles would recruit the girls while Ocampo would bring them to  Malaysia. He said the victim told her parents about her experience and asked that she be rescued, and managed to provide her address and contract number.

“The victim’s mother also told us that one of the owners of the establishment her daughter was working in was Restoles’ daughter, Hui Anna Tey,” he added.

Binay said his office coordinated with Rey Sto. Domingo, Department of Labor and Employment representative at the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Sto. Domingo in turn contacted Rick Limson, President of the Federation of Filipino Associations in Malaysia (FFAM).

Binay said Limson’s group was able to rescue two victims, including the daughter of the couple who sought his help.

“The victims were able to relay their experiences and informed Philippine Embassy officials that at least 16 more victims were still in the establishment,” he added.

The Office of the Vice President (OVP) then coordinated with the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Royal Malaysian Police based in Johor Bahru.

In turn, the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit subsequently conducted a raid last November 4, where nine more Filipinas were rescued.

Binay said OVP then coordinated with Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Jesus Yebes to shoulder the repatriation costs of the victims.

“When the 11 victims arrived, they were transferred to the Visayan Forum shelter near Terminal 2 where they were fed, interviewed and investigated,” Binay said. — KBK, GMA News

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