Mike Defensor’s wife and son’s alleged involvement in trafficking: What we know so far

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said it rescued 54 women who are alleged victims of trafficking in Pasig City.

In a report sent to reporters on Friday, April 24, the NBI said it arrested several individuals during an anti-trafficking operation “within a nightclub and hotel establishments identified as Chicago Nightclub and Bleu Hotel,” on April 21, Tuesday.

The NBI did not specify who or how many were arrested, but they include managers, officers, facilitators, and customers. They are facing charges for alleged violations of:

• Republic Act (RA) No. 9208 or Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act
• RA No. 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002

According to the NBI, their investigation showed that the registered owners of the establishment “are the wife and son of former congressman Mike Defensor.”

“The NBI emphasizes that this information is part of the ongoing investigation and does not, by itself, establish criminal liability. All persons concerned are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law,” the bureau said.

In a statement on Friday, Defensor’s wife, Julie, denied the allegations against her and their son, Miguel. The wife said they have no connection to the raided establishment.

“Any attempt to link our family to the abhorrent acts allegedly committed there is a deliberate, dangerous, and desperate lie,” Julie said. “The motive behind this orchestrated smear campaign is painfully obvious. This is a fabricated pretext designed to artificially manufacture a case.”

Rappler has reached out to Defensor for a statement. We will update this story once he responds.

The scheme

According to the NBI, the rescued victims have been turned over to social welfare authorities.

During the April 21 operation, the NBI said it recovered marked money, alleged illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia, and documents allegedly pointing to unlawful activities.

Based on the report, the NBI Special Task Group received intelligence information about the alleged recruitment and exploitation of women. After a surveillance and case build-up, authorities said they were able to confirm that the two establishments were allegedly facilitating a sexual exploitation scheme.

The NBI said customers were initially entertained inside Chicago Nightclub. The women were allegedly presented through a “line-up” system.

After a customer selects a woman, they will be allegedly brought to rooms at Bleu Hotel, “where the sexual services were allegedly consummated.”

According to the NBI, transactions ranged from P5,000 to P15,000 per encounter, “depending on the arrangement, with portions of the payment allegedly distributed among facilitators, managers, and other individuals involved.” – Rappler.com