Foreigner caught sleeping with minor ‘sold’ by other teens

Police are searching for two teenaged girls, one of them a student in Mandaue City, who peddled two younger girls to a Chinese national.

A team from Casuntingan Police Station caught last Tuesday one of the customers of the pair, a 37-year-old Chinese national whom they found in a motel in Talamban, Cebu City. He had allegedly had sex with two 14-year-old girls that the two other teeangers had introduced to him.

Here’s how the recruiters worked: they would ask their peers if anyone needed easy money, then they would arrange for a meeting between the girls and their prospective clients. Police caught the Chinese national with the help of one of the complainants.

A Chinese national will be charged today for his alleged involvement in the sex trafficking of two 14-year-old girls who are both eighth graders in a Mandaue City school.

The victims were reportedly trafficked by two students, one of whom is their 16-year-old schoolmate, last October.

Suspect Mark David Tan, 37, was caught by operatives of Casuntingan Police Station inside a motel in Barangay Talamban, Cebu City last Tuesday. He was with one of the victims at the time.

Chief Insp. Mercy Villaro of Mandaue City Police Office-Women and Children’s Protection Desk (WCPD) said the girls met the foreigner through their two friends.

The victims’ schoolmate Princess (not her real name) is a tenth grader. The other recruiter, a certain MJ Joran, is a resident of Talamban.

“Manghagad ni siya (Princess) nga mosulti nga ‘Gusto mo’g kwarta? Kay naa tay dali nga pangwarta dinhi nga makahatag sa inyuha (She’d invite them if they want easy money. She’d say there was someone who could give them that),” Villaro told Superbalita Cebu.

Princess and Jordan, 18, were the contacts of Tan.

Anna (real name withheld) was persuaded by Princess to meet Tan; she said that the for- eigner would only meet her and she would be paid.

Anna met Tan last Oct. 1 in a fast food chain in a mall in the North Reclamation Area. The foreigner allegedly brought the girl to a nearby motel where he made his sexual advances on her.

He allegedly paid P3,000 to Anna and P1,000 of the fee went to the recruiters.

Nine days later, Anna’s friend Nicky (real name withheld) fell victims to Princess and Jordan.

Nicky agreed to meet with Tan. The recruiters and Nicky waited for him in the same mall. After they met, Nicky and the Chinese national went straight to the motel where they had sex, for which he paid her.

Last Dec. 8, Anna and Nicky reported the recruiters to their class adviser, who in turn told the guidance counselor.

The parents of the victims were summoned by the counselor, then they reported the incident to the police.

WCPD investigators started their inquiry last Monday. On the same day, Nicky received a text message from Tan, who allegedly told the girl he liked her.

Nicky agreed to meet with the foreigner again, but she went to the motel with the police, resulting in the suspect’s arrest.

Police are still locating Princess and Jordan.

The victims have undergone medical and psychological tests in the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

Investigators gathered affidavits of the victims, including evidence like the text messages from the cell phones of suspect and the girls.

Villaro said that Princess and Jordan will be included in the complaints.