Senator Cynthia Villar has called on authorities to go after the recruiter of the three overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were rescued from an alleged prostitution den in Malaysia.
The OFWs, whose names were kept, were recently repatriated from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia after they were rescued October last year from a prostitution den reportedly disguising as a KTV bar.
Villar, who welcomed the Filipina workers and provide them with financial and livelihood assistance Wednesday, lamented the persisting modus which usually victimizes those from the provinces.
“Despite the existence of Republic Act 9283 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which was signed into law 15 years ago, illegal recruiters continue to operate and many of our people continue to fall victims of human trafficking,” she said.
“We have seen this modus before – recruiters using the promise of work and good salary as bait so they could attract our kababayan, usually in the provinces. Malalaman na lang ng kababayan natin na walang trabaho kapag nandoon na sa ibang bansa, kung saan sila pinapagawa ng iligal na bagay, minamaltrato at inaabuso,” she added.
While she thanked authorities for rescuing the victims, Villar maintained that authorities should go after the recruiter and her cohorts and “see to it that they face the harshest penalties under the law.”
The three women, all residents of Bataan, were recruited around mid 2017 by a certain Rea Cervantes to work as performers in Malaysia, offering them with a salary of R40,000 per month. (Vanne Elaine Terrazola)
