A German has been arrested after he was found to be spending time alone with a 14-year-old girl in Cebu City.
63-year old Herbert Major was arrested after he was found with the girl in Hagnaya Wharf in San Remigio last Tuesday.
The German is separated from his wife and told police he arrived last year in the Philippines to help Typhoon Yolanda survivors.
Police believe Major is a paedophile, though he adamantly denied the charges against him, saying he had no intention of using Diana (not her real name) for sex – saying he wanted to check out a piece of property he wanted to buy in Sta. Fe, Bantayan.
Major later confessed to helping Diana’s family and giving them money to support the girl’s education “She has nothing to eat. Eleven children has nothing to eat,” he said in broken English. “I helped the family. They are my new family.”
Under Republic Act #7610 no person or persons may be be in the company of a minor who is not a relative – under the RA law the subsection 10 (b) says:“Any person who shall keep or have in his company a minor, 12 years or under or who in 10 years or more his junior in any public or private place, hotel, motel, beer joint, discotheque, cabaret, pension house, sauna or massage parlor, beach and/or other tourist resort or similar places shall suffer the penalty of prision mayor (six months to four years) in its maximum period and a fine of not less than P50,000.”
Locals say they saw Major several times driving a motorcycle with Diana as a passenger. Major was held at the wharf area by the Philippine Coast Guard and both were brought in for questioning. Major has admitted he did not know about RA #7610 saying “Every country has its own laws and it is impossible to know all laws. If I know it, I won’t do it.”
An investigation shows that Major and Diana’s mother met through the internet last year. Major is also known to own a business in San Remigio, though Major said he already knew the mother and supposedly did not meet her over the internet.
Police are determining if Major will be charged with human trafficking – a warrant is being posted to search his home and computers.
Follow our Facebook page for daily news updates
…
Comments are closed.