Two girls rescued; two men nabbed for human trafficking

A mother’s plea for help from authorities in Liloan town to find her 13-year-old daughter, who was allegedly sold for sex, ended in the rescue of the girl and a 17-year-old girl, and the arrest of two men in the neighboring town of Compostela in northern Cebu on Monday.

PO3 Jennifer Lapeña, investigator of the Women and Children Protection Desk of the Liloan Police Station, told Cebu Daily News in an interview on Tuesday, that they rescued the two girls in a pension house in Compostela and also arrested Warlito Villegas, a 48-year-old businessman of Liloan town, and Antonio Bequilla, 54, of Compostela.

Lapena said that Villegas and Bequilla would be facing human trafficking charges.

Lapena said that the rescue operation was conducted after the mother of the 13-year-old girl sought their assistance on Monday evening.

She said that the mother believed that her daughter had been sold for sex.

Lapena said that according to the initial investigation, Villegas allegedly paid P2,300 to Bequilla to allegedly find him a girl who would allegedly have sex with him.

Lapena said that Bequilla allegedly asked a 17-year-old girl to find her another girl for Villegas.

The teenager allegedly got the 13-year-old girl to accompany Villegas for the night.

The two men were detained at the Liloan Police Station detention cell pending the filing of charges.

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