Bogo City’s Tourism Office will schedule a meeting with resort and hotel operators to intensify its campaign against human trafficking in the city.
“We want to meet and inform them about our campaign on human trafficking. The coordination between us will be a big help for this advocacy,” said Jocelyn Tan, Bogo City tourism officer.
Bogo City ranks sixth in Cebu in terms of tourist arrivals. Last year it had 15,000 tourists arrivals, Tan said.
Last April 7, four girls were rescued by police inside Gabrielle’s Court, after the mother of two girls from Bogo tipped them off that children were staying in the room of a guest, 73-year old Canadian national Lewis Caouette Talbot.
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Police reports described the establishment as a motel and said they found the girls, aged 9 to 12, watching television in the room.
Talbot is now detained in the Bogo police jail along with the mother and grandmother of two of the girls.
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Last Friday, charges of human trafficking and child abuse were filed against Talbot and the two women before the office of City Prosecutor Ivy Tejano.
“We will also call the management (Gabrielle´s Court) once we receive updated reports from our police women´s desk,¨ Tan said.
PO3 Rosalie Arnoco of the Bogo police precinct’s women’s desk said their office received a letter the other day from the Canadian Embassy containing a list of lawyers for Talbot to choose from.
“So far no lawyer showed up here for the Canadian national,” she said.
The suspects will be brought to the prosecutor’s office today for inquest proceedings.