Police to file anti-trafficking case against pension house owner

Police will file a case in violation of the Anti-trafficking of Persons Act against the owner of the pension where six Chinese women (pictured) above were rescued from alleged prostitution activities in Lapu-Lapu City. | Photo courtesy of Police Lieutenant Colonel Dexter Calacar

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LCPO) will file a case against the owner of the pension house in Barangay Bangkal, which was believed to be used as a prostitution den of Chinese women.

This will follow after they filed a case in violation of Republic Act 9208 or Anti-trafficking of Persons Act against Zhang Huan, who presented herself as the handler of the six Chinese women who were rescued from A’s Guest House.

The case against Zhang was filed on Wednesday morning, August 28.

READ: Lapu police rescue 6 Chinese women from ‘prostitution den’, arrest their ‘handler’

Police Lieutenant Colonel Dexter Calacar, head of Mobile Police Force Unit, said they asked Jocelyn Dela Cruz Araneta, the pension house owner, to give a statement about the transactions which transpired in her property when Zhang was arrested early morning of Tuesday, August 27.

Calacar, who served as the head of the operating team that rescued the six women and arrested Zhang, said Araneta promised to cooperate with the police and issue a statement.

But Araneta did not show up on today, August 28, when the case was filed against Zhang.

Based on LCPO’s investigation, Zhang rented A’s Guest House, a two-storey pension house located along Mactan Airport Road in Barangay Bangkal.

Zhang and the six Chinese women occupied all of the six rooms of the pension house.

“Since she did not cooperate with us, we will charge her with the same case …against Republic Act 9208,” Calacar told CDN Digital in a phone interview.

Calacar said they were able to talk to Araneta during the rescue operation and Zhang’s arrest on Tuesday, August 27.

He said Araneta denied any knowledge about the illegal activities inside the pension house. However, Calacar said, some of Araneta’s statements indicate that she was aware of Zhang’s illegal operations.

Calacar said they will be able to confirm their suspicions when they obtain footages of the closed-circuit television (CCTV) system from the establishment which they requested on Tuesday, August 27.

When the case against Araneta will progress with a warrant, Calacar said they will request Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan to withhold the business permit of the establishment until the case is cleared.

The six Chinese women who were rescued by LCPO have been turned over to the Chinese Consulate in Cebu.

This is the second time that a group of Chinese women were rescued from alleged prostitution activities.

Earlier this month, August 2019, the National Bureau of Investigation Central Visayas  (NBI-7) rescued 34 Chinese women who were recruited to work for a Legal Online Gaming Operation in Cebu.

Instead, they were made to work as  Guest Relations Officers (GRO) in a KTV bar in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City.

The arrested suspects, like Zhang, were also Chinese nationals. / celr