CEBU CITY – The arrest of a mother in Pinamungajan town, Cebu province should serve as a warning to those involved in online sexual exploitation, the National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas (NBI-7) said.

NBI-7 Regional Director Renan Augustus Oliva and agent-on-case Maria Contessa Lastimoso discuss the recent arrest of a mother in Pinamungajan, Cebu for online sexual prostitution. (Calvin D. Cordova)  

NBI-7 Regional Director Renan Augustus Oliva admitted that online sexual prostitution has become rampant in Cebu but authorities will soon unmask those individuals involved in such illegal activity.

“You will face the punishment of the law. Eventually, you will be caught, the long arm of the law will catch up on you,” Oliva said.

Oliva issued the warning after a 31-year-old Charissa Labajo was arrested for sexually exploiting her children online.

NBI-7 agents arrested the woman during the serving of a Warrant to Search, Seize, and Examine Computer Data in her home in Sitio Bulubugan, Barangay Tajao, Pinamungajan on Thursday, February 1.

The woman is facing charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Child Pornography), RA 11930 or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act (Anti-OSAEC & Anti-CSAEM Act), RA 9208 as amended by RA 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Person Act of 2012, and RA 7610 or Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act.

Oliva said the NBI-7 is conducting an extensive investigation to determine if the woman had cohorts or if there are other individuals who are engaging in similar activities in the area or in other towns.

The woman’s arrest came after the Homeland Security Investigation Office (US Homeland) coordinated with the NBI after one “foreign client” was arrested.

“It was in November when the request from Homeland came after they arrested a suspect and they traced back to Cebu,” said agent-on-case Maria Contessa Lastimoso.

It took time before the woman was traced as she used a different address when transacting with clients. The NBI-7 finally tracked down the suspect’s whereabouts with the use of a global positioning system.

Lastimoso said the suspect used Facebook, WhatsApp, and Skype, and collected at least $50 (about P2,500) per sexual act done online.

The woman was reported to be a “high-volume producer and seller of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials and who engages shamelessly in online child sexual abuse and exploitation.”

The NBI-7 said the woman herself performs “live shows” to foreign clients and also peddled her eight-year-old daughter by offering the minor’s explicit photos and videos or child sexual abuse or exploitation materials.

The woman’s eight-year-old daughter and her 12-year-old son as well as the 15-year-old niece of her lesbian partner had been turned over to social workers.

With the arrest of the suspect, the NBI-7 asked the public to help in the campaign against sexual online abuses where minors are the usual target.

“Let us be vigilant. We encourage the barangays, the citizenry to report to us any information and this will be treated with confidentiality,” Oliva said.