Two male minors who were allegedly pimped to a German national in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City were rescued by authorities late Wednesday afternoon.
The boys, aged 12 and 14, who are residents of Barangay Lahug, Cebu City are currently in the custody of the City Social Welfare Development Office (CSWDO) in Lapu-Lapu City.
Chief Inspector Juan Capacio, head of the Marigondon Police Station identified the suspects as Ulrich Markert, 67, a German national residing at an apartelle in Sitio Ka-ensong Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City and Ryan Guarin, 24, a resident of Sudlon, Lahug, Cebu City, who allegedly pimped the minors to Markert.
Capacio said they received information from a concerned citizen regarding the minors who were seen at the rented apartelle of the foreigner.
They immediately coordinated with the Philippine Center on Transnational Crimes – Visayas Field Office, the City Intelligence Branch led by Supt.
Mark Gifter Sucalit, Earl Tapayan of the Children’s Legal Bureau, Eleanor Feliciano of the CSWDO and Anita Jumail,GAD focal person of Barangay Basak and launched a rescue operation on Markert’s apartelle.
The suspects were arrested and detained pending the filing of Qualified Human Trafficking.
Markert denied that he was sexually abusing the boys, saying they were just having fun as friends.
“I was just being kind to them because they are my friends and I am alone here having my vacation,” said Markert.
Guarin on the other hand claimed that he was asked by Markert to bring the boys to his apartelle in Lapu-Lapu City and was given P2,000 for that.
Markert and Guarin knew each other through a dating site.
Capacio said Markert has been in the country several times and his latest arrival in Lapu-Lapu was last March. This is however the first time he was caught in the company of minors at his apartelle.
“Gihuwat pa nato ang mga information gikan sa atong partner operatives kung naa pa ba ni laing kaso ang foreigner,” said Capacio. (We are still waiting for our partner operatives to check if the foreigner is facing other cases).
Police confiscated a tablet, two android phones and two P1,000 bills from Guarin.
Guarin denied pimping the minors, saying he was only invited by his friend Markert to the apartelle and he brought with him two other minor friends.
Meanwhile, charges will be filed by the mother who allegedly exploited her daughter and two other teenaged girls in Barangay Sangat, San Fernando town.
Senior Supt. Romeo Perigo, chief of the Women and Children Protection Center – Visayas Field Office (WCPC-VFU) said they are now preparing the affidavits which will support charges of Trafficking in Persons and violation of the Anti-Child Pornography Act before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office.
Lawyer John Tanagbo of the International Justice Mission (IJM) Cebu field office said he was not surprised by the incident in San Fernando.
“Over the past few years, online sexual exploitation has been happening across the Philippines. It is no surprise that it is happening in San Fernando, Talisay City, Lapu-Lapu City or Cordova,” he said.
The arrest of the mother is the sixth arrest done of persons suspected of engaging in online sexual exploitation of children in Cebu. /With Jessa Mae O. Sotto