Trafficking a minor in Gaisano - Ormoc, couple arrested

Following hours of surveillance, a couple was arrested by the police for alleged trading a 13-year old girl while waiting for male customer beside Gaisano Capital along Real St., this city at 10:30 p.m. August 14.

Arrested was Irish Ybañez, 33 who was with the minor when the police together with personnel of the City Social Welfare and Development Office apprehended her. 

Her live-in partner Pedro Borlaza, also known with as “Lalang”, 28, was also arrested when he tried to rescue his live-in partner.

The two are residents of Sitio Dao, Lilo-an, Ormoc.

Both denied the allegations and said it was the minor who kept on texting them asking for a customer. 

Ybañez claimed that she only gave in to the child’s request that night of assisting her to buy “shabu” for her sister – an alibi used by the minor to prolong the deal while waiting for the conduct of the arrest. The minor, said added, had started to burst anger when a customer left as she refused to go for the P500 deal.  

At their meeting place, the almost two- hours surveillance revealed that Borlaza from time to time would appear to talk with Ybañez and left. 

Borlaza said he occasionally works as errand boy in one of the lodging houses in the city and do some laundry of the linens while Ybañez is jobless and is five month pregnant of their first baby. 

Ybañez and the minor agreed to meet that night through text messages. It turned out that it was the minor’s aunt whom she was exchanging the text messages.

In an interview, the couple revealed a group of six or seven minors at times go to their house and request for a “banker” in exchange of money but said they would refuse and instead gave them money for fare back home.

The Women’s and Children’s Concerns Desk (WCCD) and a representative from the City Social Welfare and Development Office rescued the minor victim. 

A case of qualified trafficking was filed by the mother of the rescued girl against Ybañez and Borlaza through inquest proceeding.