Cebu Daily News
Cebu's Only Independent Newspaper

Four girls rescued from Australian
Posted on July 21, 2011 by cebudailynews
POLICE last night arrested a 78-year-old Australian for allegedly keeping four children as “sex slaves” in his house in barangay Inayagan, Naga City, in south Cebu.
Naga police served a search warrant against Angelo Farina in his rented bungalow about 10 p.m. Law enforcers rescued four girls aged 14 to 15 who were in a state of shock.
The house is a few blocks from the residence of Bella Ruby Santos, who is wanted with her British boyfriend Ian Charles Griffiths on charges of kidnapping and homicide for the Feb. 8 disappearance of a 6-year-old girl.
The search warrant was issued by Regional Trial Court Judge Macaundas Hadjirasul of Branch 8.
Police acted on a request for assistance from the Children’s Legal Bureau (CLB) who received reports about the foreigner’s conduct.
In an interview, CLB lawyer Noemi Truya-Abarientos said the Australian, who traveled in and out of the country, would allegedly have sexual relations with the girls at his pleasure.
She said the abuse started last year but the CLB learned about the situation just last April.
She told Cebu Daily News the victims were still in a state of shock after the raid and would be placed in the care of social workers.
The children are residents of barangay Inayagan. Their parents were not around.
Police recovered photos that showed the foreigner with the children. They confiscated his passport and still unidentified drugs.
Truya said other minors had filed a complaint against the Australian with the prosecutors’ office last year for the same offenses but their parents were persuaded by the foreigner to later execute an affidavit of desistance to withdraw the case.
The four girls rescued last night were turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Carcar City.
Farina was brought last night to the Naga City jail. /Reporter Ador Vincent S. Mayol