The shallow well where the teenage mother took a video of her children bathing in Cordova town. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Relatives and neighbors of a 22-year-old mother that got arrested for videotaping her two kids while bathing near a well were surprised about what happened.
Her 40-year-old cousin said she could not believe that Kathy (not her real name) exploited her two daughters aged 5 and 2.
“Nakahilak gyud ko. Nalooy gyud ko pag-ayo niya. Inosente gyud tawn to siya (I cried. I pity her. I know she’s innoncent),” she said.
She said neighbors often give food to Kathy’s family who could barely eat three times daily.
Kathy helped her mother sell fruits and pancakes outside their home in Barangay Buagsong, Cordova town, while her father is a trisikad driver.
“If she was indeed into online pornography, their family should have been rich,” said Kathy’s cousin who requested anonymity.
Kathy was arrested by police last July 30 for allegedly taking nude photos and videos of her two young daughters and selling the images online to foreigners.
The teenage mother was shooting a video of her two children aged 5 and 2 while taking a bath near a well in Barangay Buagsong, Cordova town, on Mactan Island on Saturday when police arrived.
Cebu Daily News visited their home located along the road in Buagsong — a fishing village that thrives in producing and selling bakasi (eel). No one was inside the house made of wood and cement.
Kathy’s cousin allowed CDN to step inside the house where baptismal photos of Kathy’s kids and stuffed toys were displayed.
The house that measured 15×15 meters doesn’t have computer units.
But Chief Insp. Rose Santolorin of the Women and Children Protection in the Visayas said Kathy used her cellphone in taking nude photos of her kids.
Based on their investigation, Kathy transacted with at least 70 foreign clients.
Kathy’s cousin believed the suspect’s former boyfriend from abroad fabricated stories against the teenage mom.
“Maybe, he was angry at my cousin. I hope she will eventually be cleared of the accusations,” she said.
Jerome Demecillo, Kathy’s classmate in elementary school, said he was dumbfounded when he learned that her friend was arrested. “Buotan man nang bataa (She a good girl),” he said.
When interviewed behind bars, Kathy admitted taking nude photos and videos of her two children but claimed she didn’t know that what she was doing was wrong.
She claimed that it was her first time to do so upon the request of an online friend.
A policeman posing as a customer transacted with the suspect who gave in to the request to take photos and videos of her naked children for $70 (P3,290 at P47 to the dollar).
While the law against human trafficking allows the media to identify the accused, the suspect’s name is withheld to protect the identities of her children.
Kathy was charged on Monday before the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office for violating the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.