Suspected sex offender arrested in UAE to be extradited, says senior Philippine official – News

A Filipino man accused of sexually exploiting more than 100 children in the Philippines has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates and is set to be extradited, a senior Philippine minister on an official visit to the United States said Wednesday.

On his official Facebook account, Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., secretary of the Philippine Department of Interior (DILG), wrote in Filipino: “A notorious and ruthless child trafficker who exploits hundreds of Filipino children has been arrested in the UAE. With our cooperation and the help of the UAE government, we will bring this child trafficker back to the Philippines tomorrow.”

Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., Secretary of the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) during his meeting with the Filipino community in Dubai on Sunday (Photo: provided)

Abalos called it a victory and “a huge step in the government’s determined fight against human trafficking and in strictly protecting our youth from abuse.”

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He also issued a stern warning: “The message to the heartless abusers of minors is clear: There is no safe haven for you. Wherever you go, you will surely face the law, and justice will prevail.”

Abalos did not identify the suspect, but Philippine authorities said there are more than 100 identified victims of sexual exploitation. Some of the victims are said to have been rescued during operations in various provinces and cities across the Philippines, including the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino, and the cities of Taguig, Bacoor, Cavite, Marilao, Bulacan, La Union and Baguio.

The suspect is alleged to have sold images and videos of the young victims to foreign nationals in exchange for money online. He was arrested following a Red Notice issued by Interpol (a request to law enforcement authorities worldwide to locate and provisionally detain a person pending extradition, surrender or similar legal proceedings).

There has been no comment from the UAE authorities regarding the arrest so far.

Previous delivery

This is not the first time that the UAE government has helped in the arrest of a wanted person in the Philippines. Back in October 2016, Abu Dhabi police arrested well-known Filipino drug lord Kerwin Espinosa, whose real name is Rolan Eslabon Espinosa.

Philippine authorities coordinated with the Abu Dhabi Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to extradite Espinosa, who was considered the biggest drug lord in Eastern Visayas and number two on the Philippines' most wanted list. Senior Superintendent Albert Ferro, acting director of the Philippine National Police's Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, said: Khaleej Times.

“Busy” secretary

Abalos has been traveling between the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates in recent days. He first came to Dubai on Sunday to meet with leaders of the Filipino community, but his engagement was abruptly ended after a Filipino pastor wanted in the United States on child sex trafficking charges was also arrested on Sunday.

Photo: Supplied

The same day he arrived in Dubai, he returned to Manila to hold a press conference on Monday to announce the arrest of Apollo Quiboloy, who was also charged with human trafficking in a Philippine court. Quiboloy's arrest came after two weeks of a massive police manhunt.

On Tuesday, Abalos returned to the UAE and met with the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the Qasr Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi. Abalos conveyed the greetings of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines, and his best wishes for the continued prosperity of the UAE and the further development of UAE-Philippine relations.

Last week, Abalos also traveled to Indonesia to support the extradition of Alice Guo, a fugitive former mayor of a city in Tarlac in the central Philippines who was arrested by Indonesian authorities in Jakarta. Guo is accused of having ties to Chinese crime syndicates that operate illegal online gambling in the Philippines.

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