ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/15 August) – Authorities here have scored anew in its anti-human trafficking campaign with the rescue of three victims last Sunday, a police official revealed.
Senior Supt. Edwin de Ocampo, Zamboanga City police director, said the victims were rescued around 9 a.m. Sunday at a pension house in Barangay Canelar.
Rescued were Eliniza Cortez, 33; Mariel Dagohoy, 24; and Renilyn de Jesus. All are from Las Piñas City in Metro Manila.
Sunday’s rescue came three days after the inter-agency Sea Base Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (SBATTF) arrested two suspected human traffickers and rescue two victims from Aurora, Isabela province.
De Ocampo said the Philippine Center for Transnational Crimes (PCTC)-Mindanao field office received information that there were three human trafficking victims staying at the Atilano Pension House in Barangay Canelar.
He said the PCTC immediately notified his command’s Women and Children Protection Desk (WCPD), who in turn coordinated with the SBATTF.
He said the WCPD, backed by SBATTF members, swooped down on the pension house and successfully rescued the three victims.
But he said no arrest was made since the alleged illegal recruiter was not around during the raid.
The victims were turned over to the Visayan Forum Foundation (VFF), a non-government organization (NGO) working on issues of domestic work, child labor and human trafficking, especially of women and children, for temporary shelter.
Last Thursday, two human trafficking victims were rescued at the port of Zamboanga and arrested two suspected illegal recruiters.
The suspects were turned over to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for the filing of appropriate charges against them. (MindaNews)
