10 alleged trafficked bar girls rescued from Baguio night club

BAGUIO CITY  – Ten bar girls allegedly trafficked for the commercial sex industry here were rescued by policemen Wednesday night from a night club along Marcos Highway here.

The women ranging from ages 26-40 coming from different locations in the country, even as far as Lanao del Sur,  were taken for counselling by social workers after they were found employed as “entertainers” at the Pharazuz Bar, a long-time operating night club in the city.

A joint team of policemen from the Regional Operations Group of the Cordillera police, police drug enforcement unit, Baguio policemen and 6 social workers from the DSWD  raided the bar at around 10:55PM Wednesday and even found some of the girls in scantily-clad clothing.

Bar manager Roldan Mangila Dela Cruz from Caloocan City and his aide Louie Jamora Macatuno from Las Pinas City, were also taken to face violations of Republic Act 9208 and RA 10964 or Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, Expanded Anti-Trafficking in persons Act of 2012, and even violations of local and national public health protocols after the bar operated even with the ongoing pandemic.

Artemio A. Dumlao