Bombo Radyo reported that the four suspects who were identified as Flora Rovera, Gina Padua, Claribel Sabuga, and Jose Morteno were aboard a bus together with the victims and on their way to Luzon when they were apprehended through an entrapment operation by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in cooperation with the police. They can possibly face charges of child trafficking.
Of the five girls who were rescued, two were aged 12, two were aged 14, and one was aged 15. They all hail from the town of Marabut in Eastern Samar. They were recruited by the suspects with the promise of taking them to Quezon City where they can go to school. Through a tip from a concerned citizen, the DSWD and police were able to come up with an entrapment operation to apprehend the suspects and rescue the girls.
The suspects were also not able to produce documents proving that they have positive intentions for the girls. It was also learned that the religious group has previously distributed relief goods last December to victims of Typhoon Yolanda. This made it easier for them to get the trust of potential recruits and their parents.
