BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
ILOILO City – A local court has sanctioned a plea bargaining agreement for 17 undocumented Chinese nationals arrested during a raid on a cybersex den in Barangay Balantang, Jaro district on November 4, 2023.
The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) Region 6 confirmed the plea bargaining, which allows for reduced sentences and fines.
Jail Chief Inspector Atty. Mark Malhabour, spokesperson for BJMP-6, detailed that under the agreement, each defendant will serve a sentence of four to eight months and pay a fine of P75,000.
The plea bargain is currently pending final court approval, after which the defendants may be released.
“We are bound by the court’s decision,” said Malhabour. “Once the release order is issued, we will proceed as directed, releasing the Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) from the facility where they are currently held.”
November last year, the City Intelligence Unit of the Iloilo City Police Office raided a house suspected of being used as a base for cybercrime activities, including cybersex operations.
Cops seized 24 computers, various SIM cards, and cellphones. They also uncovered evidence of foreign clientele and illicit content involving Filipinas.
The 17 Chinese nationals were charged with qualified trafficking in persons, obscene publication and exhibition through information and communication technology, and computer-related fraud./PN
