Police arrest 16 foreigners in raid of hotel penthouse used for prostitution

MANILA, Philippines –  Makati police raided early Friday morning, January 10, a KTV bar at the penthouse of a hotel which was allegedly used as a front for prostitution.

 Major Gideon Ines Jr., Makati Police Investigation Unit chief, said his team arrested the two Taiwanese operators of the bar, as well as, 14 Chinese nationals who were customers. 

The police report said the arrested customers were all employees of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) company.

The raiding team also rescued 13 Filipinas “employed” by the KTV bar during the 3:45 am operation. 

Ines said the rescued women told police that they were being trafficked to foreigners, mostly Chinese nationals.

Gines identified the operators of the KTV bar as Shih Fang Chen, 65, and Po Yi Chen, 55. The pair rented the penthouse of a 29-storey hotel along Burgos St,  Barangay Poblacion.

The KTV bar operators were just renting at the hotel, Ines said. “They were paying P400, 000 a month to the owner of the hotel,” Gines added.

The police report said the hotel owner denied he was involved in the operation of the prostitution den.  

“Nakuha rin namin tablet na ginagamit nila para mambugaw,” he said, referring to the  online application used to by the prostitution ring.

Makati Police also recovered in the possession of some of the women packs of condoms. “May mga condom kaming nakuha. May mga taga-probinsya sa mga babae na kinakalakal nila,” Gines said.

 (We confiscated packs of condoms from the women. Some of the girls “offered” by the suspects online came from the provinces.)

The rescued women were turned over to City Social Welfare and Development Department. The suspects, which include the POGO workers were hauled to the Makati police headquarters. – Rappler.com