Cebu City abortion: 75-year-old lola, two others nabbed

A driver, a  middleman, and a 75-year-old woman who allegedly performs illegal abortion procedures were caught in an an entrapment operation by PRO 7 agents inside a Cebu City inn on June 19. | CDN photo by Daryll Galindo 

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 75-year-old woman and two other accomplices were arrested by police on June 19 for their alleged involvement in abortion activities.

The three arrested individuals included a 75-year-old woman who allegedly performs illegal abortion procedures despite having no medical background, a man who was tagged as the group’s driver, and an alleged middleman.

The three were arrested in an entrapment operation inside an inn in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City.

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The operation involved setting a fake appointment through a Facebook page that offered illegal abortions. The police discovered the said page after a cyber patrol.

Allegedly, it was through the Facebook page where the suspects would find and transact with clients who wanted to have an illegal abortion.

The entrapment operation was conducted by the Regional Special Project Unit-7, with the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) headed by Director Police Brigadier General Rederico Maranan and the Cebu City Police Office led by acting city director Police Colonel Enrico Figueroa.

During the operation, the three suspects that were allegedly involved in Cebu City abortion were caught inside one of the rooms of the inn.

According to Maranan, potential clients will first talk with the middleman and agree on a price. He said he got this information after questioning the suspects.

He added that according to the suspects, that the average price for an illegal abortion procedure is at P40,000.

The P40,000 that a client would pay would then be split in half between the middleman and the one who will conduct the abortion.

Police also said most of their clients are local residents, and that they’re still investigating whether or not illegal abortions also happen outside Cebu City.

Initial investigation revealed that the suspects have been conducting their illegal operations since 2021.

Also seized during the entrapment operation were various surgical instruments and suspected abortion drugs.

During an interview with the local media after the entrapment operation, Maranan disclosed that the recent discovery of dead fetuses in Liloan on June 13 was the reason why they conducted the operation.

Maranan was referring to the three dead fetuses that were found in a plastic sorting facility in Purok Sibukaw, Brgy. Cotcot in the Municipality of Liloan.

“This operation is an offshoot of the June 13 incident in Liloan wherein dead fetuses were recovered after being thrown away,” Maranan said during an interview. “That is the reason behind why we did a large scale operation in Region VII in order to look and catch the people behind illegal abortions.”

Although it is still not determined of the three suspects have any connection with the dead fetuses in Liloan, Maranan said that remains a big possibility.

With the arrest of the three Cebu City abortion suspects, Maranan revealed that PRO-7 will be filing the appropriate charges against them. Specifically, the suspects will be facing charges for intentional abortion under Article 256 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines.

Regarding the establishment’s involvement in the abortion scheme, Maranan said they are investigating whether the inn was in collusion with the suspects and will file appropriate charges if a connection is confirmed.