Prostitution probe: Filipina teens sold Chinese expats, foreigners using WeChat app
A Filipina teenager revealed on Tuesday how they were sold to Chinese expats and foreigners using the Chinese app WeChat during the Senate’s investigation on the new sex trade scheme.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Chair of Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, said some of the women are pimped through WeChat.
Customers use codes such as “new tea” for girls and “fast food” for quickie sex to avoid Beijing Sensors.
She also presented screenshots from the alleged chat groups showing the prices of the women. Some Chinese women costs P10,000 per hour, while Russian women are P32,000 per night. Korean women are sold P45,000 overnight.
The 16-year-old Filipina who stood as a witness under pseudonym Karina told the Senate panel how she was tricked into entering prostitution. She said a friend recruited her to work as a masseuse in a Chinese man and his Filipina wife’s massage parlor.
“Minsan pupunta kami sa condo, minsan sa hotel tapos pagkatapos namin magmasahe, mag-ooffer kami ng extra service na ibig sabihin makikipagtalik kami,” said Karina.
(Sometimes we go to the condo, sometimes in a hotel then after the massage, we will offer extra service which means we will have sex with them.)
Also read: At least 30 Chinese women rescued from Makati sex den
Prostitution probe: Filipina teens sold Chinese expats, foreigners using WeChat app
The inquiry also showed Chinese nationals are the usual customers of the sex den. They pay the girls P3,000 to P7,000. Karina said half of their payment would go to the massage parlor owner.
Karina also said she had Japanese, Korean, and Indian clients.
She also said the youngest of some nine girls working at the massage parlor in Makati City is only 14 years old, whom she named Shaira.
Karina said Shaira and other girls left the massage parlor in September 2019 when they got sick.
“Pinagamot naman po pero tumakas na po siya kasi hindi na po kaya. Kasi kahit po may sakit, nilalakad pa din po sa mga customer,” Karina said.
(She was given medication, but she escaped because she cannot take it anymore. Because she was still sold to customers even if she was sick.)
Hontiveros said that her committee is looking into implementing stricter visa requirements for Chinese nationals to prevent the rising number of prostitution dens run by Chinese.
Makati Police investigation unit chief Major Gideon Ines said most of the foreign prostitutes rescued in Makati hold tourist visas.
Ines also said they investigate reports that some foreign prostitutes have entered the Philippines using visa upon arrival stamps.
Also read: Immigration stops visa on arrival issuance to Chinese tourists