THIRTEEN girls aged 13 to 15 and recruited in Quezon City ended up being sold as prostitutes at P600 each to fishermen in Infanta, Quezon.

The victims are out-of-school youths and residents of Batasan Hills, Quezon City.

Police Supt. Constante Agpaoa, QCPD Station 6 chief, said the girls were recruited in Quezon City by Arthur Letera, 40, also of Bgy. Batasan Hills. The victims were made to work at a KTV bar reportedly owned by a certain Jenny Recado. They were also forced to slave it out as hookers.

Earlier this week, nine more girls were reportedly victimized by Letera and landed in the same KTV bar. However, one of them managed to send text messages to her parent who immediately sought help from police.

On Thursday night, Letera appeared at the QCPD Station 6 along with the 13 victims.

Mga menor-de-edad pa lang sina Ma. Jennifer Abalos, 12;  Jevelyn Devara, 14;  at Gessa Clemente, 13, at halos magkapareho ang kanilang hangarin na makatulong sa kanilang mga magulang at makaahon sa kahirapan.

Nilisan nila ang kani-kanilang tahanan sa Barangay 176, Bagong Silang, Caloocan City at nagtungo sa Nueva Ecija para magtrabaho bilang katulong.

Isang recruiter na si Basilio Balleris, 48, ng Phase 8, Package 10, Block 159 Lot Excess, Bagong Silang ang nanghikayat sa kanila at nagsama sa kanila para magtrabaho bilang katulong noong Hulyo  23 ng taong ito.

Pero sa halip na maging katulong sa bahay, pinagtrabaho sila ni Balleris bilang guest relation officer sa isang videoke bar sa Llanera,  Nueva Ecija.

Pagkaraan ng tatlong linggo, nakatakas si Abalos at umuwi sa Caloocan para magsumbong sa kanyang mga magulang at sa pulisya.

Dahil dito, nagsagawa ng operasyon kamakalawa ang Caloocan City Police hanggang mailigtas sina Clemente at Devara at maaresto si Balleris.

ALTHOUGH a law prohibits the employment of persons below 15 years old, this poverty stricken nation of more than 90 million people is teeming with child workers.

Due to grinding poverty, which has been forcing more and more to seek employment abroad, parents encourage their children to stop going to school and just look for jobs.

And it is certainly sickening to note that some of these minors are engaged in hazardous work and, in some instances, even commit heinous crimes. Allowing children to be exploited and abused is unconscionable.

Thus, we support the view of a group of legislators, including Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, that if we are to eradicate child labor, the government must first address the problem of widespread poverty in the country.

“These minors need to enjoy their childhood… develop mentally and physically under the care of their parents,” said Romualdez, a banker, educator, and lawyer who champions the cause of the poor, the sick, the elderly, and the youth.

The freshman solon from Leyte called on the Department of Labor and Employment to go after fireworks factories in Bulacan that continue to employ the services of minors.

Sharing Romualdez’ sentiments are An Waray Rep. Florencio Noel, Taguig-Pateros Rep. Lani Cayetano, and Rep. Joel Villanueva of the Citizens Battle Against Corruption.

Despite the fact that the country is a signatory to many international laws and conventions on child labor, there are still unscrupulous employers who capitalize on the children’s docility and illiteracy to make them do dehumanizing and hazardous work on starvation pay.

Villanueva said this systematic exploitation renders children physically and mentally impaired.

We concede that poor families have no choice but to require their kids to work to enable them to survive today’s high cost of living.

But the government will court public disenchantment and unpopularity if it ignores the plight of the country’s child workers.

It’s time to intensify the nationwide campaign against child abuse and child exploitation.

THE Department of Labor and Employment on Tuesday issued an advisory clarifying the issuance of work permits and certificates for minors aged between 15 to 18 years old.

Acting Labor Secretary Arturo Sodusta issued the advisory in response to numerous queries received by the department from employers and workers about work certificates and permits for the employment of minors.

The acting labor chief said the advisory clarifies that issuance of the Labor department’s certificates to minors between 15 to 18 years old, before being employed, is not required by law.

Sodusta added that no employer shall deny minors the opportunity to seek employment merely on the basis of lacking a certificate or permit for eligibility to work, as issued by the Labor department.

The acting labor chief said minors may present a copy of the department’s advisory to any employer, job provider or government authority when seeking employment or during employment.

He also explained that the advisory reiterates that the employment of young persons between 15 to 18 yrs old maybe allowed subject to the conditions and prohibitions of Republic Act 9231 and the Labor Code.

The advisory that was issued by the labor department, Sodusta said, is in pursuant to the provisions of the Labor Code of the Philippines and R.A. 9231, and is consistent with Department Order No. 65-04.

R.A. 9231, Sodusta said, also defines the work hours of child workers, which is eight hours a day and in no case will go beyond 40 hours a week.

As to work at night, that law states that “a child 15 years of age but not below 18 shall be allowed to work between 10 in the evening to six in the morning of the following day.”

The acting labor chief said that department order no. 65-04, clarifies prohibitions, like the employment of children in advertisement directly or indirectly promoting alcoholic beverages, intoxicating drinks, tobacco and its by-products, gambling and any other form of violence.

The acting labor chief said the advisory also states that no employer shall hinder the young person’s education and learning opportunities.

TARGET ngayon  ng bandidong Abu Sayyaf ang mga menor de edad sa pagre-recruit ng mga ito upang palakasin ang kanilang pu-wersa.

Ito ang  nabatid kahapon batay sa intelligence report  na nakarating sa tanggapan ni Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Chief Police Director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao.

Batay sa ulat menor de edad mula 13 hanggang 16 anyos ang  pinupuntirya ngayon ng bandido upang maging kapanalig.

Sinabi ni Goltiao na ito ay bunga narin ng pagbaba ng bilang nga mga bandido dahil na rin sa pagkalagas ng pwersa ng mga ito sa opensiba ng  tropa ng militar.

Sa ngayon aniya ay  aktibo ngayon sa recruitment ng mga kabataang lalaki ang  bandidong grupo.

Idinagdag  pa ni Goltiao na mismong ang tropa ng mi-litar na  nakasagupa ng mga bandido ang nagpatunay na  karamihan sa kanilang mga nakalaban ay mga menor  de edad na bandido na gina-wang frontliners sa labanan.

Sinabi pa ni Goltiao na ang mga bandidong bantay ng dinukot na sina ABS-CBN television reporter na si Ces Drilon, cameraman Jimmy En-carnacion at Mindanao State University professor ay pawang mga bata o menor-de-edad.

Maging ang mga naghatid sa pinalayang si Angelo Valderama ay mga batang bandido rin.

Tinataya namang aabot sa  50 hanggang  60 armadong bandido mula sa grupo nina ASG  Commander Parad at Jumdail ang sinasabing  responsable sa pagdukot sa ABS-CBN news team at sa MSU professor.

Kaugnay nito, pinayuhan ng opisyal ang mga kabataan na huwag padadala sa mga panlilinlang ng  mga bandido dahil tiyak na pagkasira ng kinabukasan ang dulot nito sa kanilang buhay.