Cops rescue 70 from suspected human trafficking den in Pasay

At least 70 women, 30 of them minors, were rescued from a suspected human trafficking den in Pasay City Tuesday night, the Philippine National Police said Wednesday.

The PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said the raided establishment, Happy World Human Resources Recruitment Agency, was owned by a Sudanese identified only as Ashraf.

Senior Superintendent John Guyguyon, head of the CIDG Anti-Transnational Crime unit, said many of the rescued women were from Cotabato province.

However, police failed to arrest alleged illegal recruiters identified only as "Maisura," "Nayda," "Zorayda" and "Baidido."

"Yung iba from Midsayap, Cotabato, pumunta rito at [inalok] na magtrabaho sa abroad," he said in a report on "Unang Balita."



Guyguyon said that aside from the 70 rescued women, four more were forced to work as helpers for the agency.

Investigation showed one of the victims, who managed to escape from the den and lodge a complaint, claimed she was recruited by a certain Misora Karon in Cotabato.

She was sent to Manila supposedly to work in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a domestic helper.

But at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, a woman known only as Ellen fetched the victim and gave her a fake birth certificate bearing the name of a fictitious person.

She said she was also told to change her age from 16 to 23.

An investigation also showed the escapee and the 70 rescued women who were promised jobs abroad were not allowed to use their cell phones, had to sleep on the floor and were being fed with a cup of rice a day.

The rescued victims and the helpers are under the custody of the CIDG operating team.

On the other hand, the "Unang Balita" report quoted the caretaker of the house, Amado Cabanlig, as saying the recruitment agency was legitimate.

"As far as I know, we don't have any violation whatsoever or complaint of any applicant," he said. — Joel Locsin /LBG, GMA News