A Filipino accused of sexually exploiting more than 100 children back in the Philippines was arrested in the UAE and will be extradited, a senior Philippine minister who came here on an official visit announced on Wednesday.
Taking to his official Facebook account, Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr., Secretary of the Philippine Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), said in Filipino: “A notorious and ruthless big-time child trafficker who preys on hundreds of Filipino children has been arrested in the UAE. With our cooperation and the help of the UAE government, we will return this child trafficker to the Philippines tomorrow.”
Abalos called it a victory and “a huge step in the government’s strong fight against human trafficking and in the strict protection of our youth from abusers”.
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He also issued a stern warning: “For the heartless abusers of minors, the message is clear: You have no safe haven; wherever you go, you will surely face the law and justice will prevail.”
Abalos did not identify the suspect but Philippine authorities said there were more than 100 identified victims of sexual exploitation. Some of the victims were said to have been rescued in operations in different provinces and cities across the Philippines, including Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces; as well as in cities of Taguig, Bacoor, Cavite, Marilao, Bulacan, La Union, and Baguio.
The suspect allegedly sold pictures and videos of the young victims to foreigners and received payment online. He was arrested following a Red Notice (request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action) issued by Interpol.
UAE authorities have yet to issue a statement on the arrest.
Previous extradition
This is not the first time that the UAE government helped in the arrest of a wanted individual in the Philippines. Back in October 2016, the Abu Dhabi Police arrested known Filipino drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, whose real name is Rolan Eslabon Espinosa.
Philippine authorities coordinated with the Abu Dhabi Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for the extradition of Espinosa, who was named as the biggest drug lord in Eastern Visayas and No. 2 on the Philippines’ most wanted list, senior superintendent Albert Ferro, acting director of the Philippine National Police Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, then told Khaleej Times.
‘Busy’ secretary
Abalos went back and forth between the Philippines and UAE in the past few days. He first came to Dubai on Sunday to meet with leaders of the Filipino community but his engagement was abruptly cut short after a Philippine pastor wanted in the United States for child sex trafficking was also arrested on Sunday.
He went back to Manila the same day he arrived in Dubai to hold a press conference on Monday to announce the detention of Apollo Quiboloy, who has also been charged with human trafficking in a Philippine court. Quiboloy’s arrest came after two weeks of massive police manhunt.
Abalos then returned to the UAE on Tuesday and met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at Qasr Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi. Abalos conveyed the greetings of Ferdinand Marcos Jr, President of the Philippines, and his best wishes for the continued prosperity of the UAE and the further advancement of UAE-Philippines relations.
Last week, Abalos also went to Indonesia to facilitate the extradition of Alice Guo, a fugitive former mayor of a town in Tarlac in central Philippines, who was arrested by Indonesian authorities in Jakarta. Guo is accused of having links to Chinese criminal syndicates operating illegal online gambling in the Philippines.