Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto arrested in Bulacan

Police arrested Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto in Bulacan, authorities confirmed on Friday.

Meloto's arrest in Angat, Bulacan, stemmed from an arrest warrant for two counts of qualified trafficking in persons, Police Brigadier General Jess Mendez, regional director of the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO-3) said in a report by GMA News' John Consulta.

Mendez added that the case filed against Meloto is non-bailable.

In a message to GMA News, Meloto's lawyer, Atty. Veronica Soriano, said their top priority is to ensure that his rights are "fully protected."

"We are currently gathering all relevant facts and cooperating with authorities to clarify the circumstances surrounding this matter to ensure that all standard legal procedures and due process were strictly followed," she said.

Atty. Judy Marvel, counsel for the complainants, said, "We will let the court process take its course."

Last September, the Department of Justice (DOJ) found probable cause to indict Meloto for alleged sexual abuse of two male beneficiaries in 2017.

The DOJ resolution said that the "acts committed" by Meloto "fall within the definition and elements of sex trafficking, qualified by abuse of authority.”

Meloto’s behavior was “not isolated acts of sexual misconduct or lascivious acts” but a “structured system of sexual exploitation facilitated by organizational hierarchy and deception," prosecutors said.

The complainants were scholars of the Gawad Kalinga programs when they allegedly suffered sexual abuse from Meloto in the GK Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan, in 2017.

One complainant had also experienced abuse while on a speaking engagement with Meloto for GK in Lyon, France.

Meloto left the non-government organization the same year following an internal investigation conducted by the GK board. — VBL, GMA News