Thursday, December 16, 2010

Prostitution Dens In Pototan Under Tight Watch


Several prostitution dens in the town of Pototan, Iloilo are currently being monitored by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 6.

Delia Bagolcol, DSWD Social Welfare Officer 4, said that operators of these prostitution dens use KTV bars as their "front" for their illegal operations.

Early this year, Bagolcol said five women including a 12-year-old minor were intercepted by policemen along Dumangas port in Iloilo.

Bagolcol said upon police interrogation, they found out that those intercepted women from Cebu were victim of human trafficking.

According to the victims, they were hired in Cebu City to work as waitress of the Traveler’s Place in Pototan Iloilo but their boss encouraged them to give "extra service" to their customers.

Bagolcol said one of the four intercepted women who happened to be the eldest sister of a minor begged their boss not to include her sister on their extra service and offered herself to do the job instead.

After a month of working In Pototan, the victims found a chance to escape and supposedly to go back home prior to their arrest.

Immediately, the local DSWD and police had reported the existing prostitution dens to the office of the town mayor for some disciplinary action. The business permit of Traveler’s Place was then canceled to set as an example to other neighboring KTV bars operating in the area.

Early this month, however, Bagolcol said they received another information that this Traveler’s Place was operating "on" and "off".

"We have to strengthen our campaign against human trafficking so that there will be no women to be victimized again especially the minors", Bagolcol said. (PNA)/MP 

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