Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares said on Thursday, Nov. 21, that law enforcement personnel rescued 14 women, four of them minors, from two KTV bars offering "extra-services" to their patrons.
Ynares said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Rizal District Office received a report regarding human traffickers who are operating two KTV bars on Sitio Cabadang in Barangay San Jose that are offering sexual services or "extra-services" to their customers.
This prompted the NBI and the City Social Welfare Department (CSWD) to launch a simultaneous raid on the bars identified as Aphrodite and Rijo.
The NBI undercover agents, posing as customers, discovered the "extra-service" being offered for P3,500 by the women employees of the KTV bars, including the four minors.
The raiding team immediately arrested the suspects who were identified as "Joy," "Akira," "Aida," "Ria," and "Joward" who are now facing charges for violating the Anti-Trafficking Act of 2003 or RA 9208.
"Labing-apat na kababaihan ang atin pong nasagip — kung saan apat doon ay mga menor de edad. Agaran natin silang pinasuri sa ACHS IV - Cabading at nag-undergo ng medico legal at psychological intervention at kasalukuyang nasa kustodiya ng CSWD. Samantala, ang sampung biktima naman ay pinauwi na natin sa kani-kanilang pamilya (A total of 14 girls were rescued during the operation with four of them being minors. They were immediately brought to ACHS IV - Cabading to undergo medico legal and psychological intervention. The minor victims were then placed under the custody of the CSWD while the 10 others were sent home to their respective families)," Ynares said.
The mayor added that the city government has filed Notices of Violation (NOV) on the two establishments to prevent them from operating again.