The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 arrested a 46-year-old man during an entrapment operation for allegedly prostituting four women in Cebu City. The suspect, identified as Jollie Jaenar Fundador, also known as Joel, resides on M. Velez Street, Cebu City.
Operation Details
Fundador would wait at the intersection of Juana Osmeña and M.P. Yap Streets in Barangay Camputhaw, Cebu City, and offer women to customers for PHP 2,000. The NBI 7 conducted an investigation based on a report from the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) 7, which led to a month-long surveillance before the entrapment on May 11, 2026.
Rescued Victims
According to Maria Contessa Lastimosa, special investigator at NBI 7, the rescued women, aged 23 to 30, have been turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Central Visayas. The victims stated that they were forced into prostitution due to their difficult circumstances, worsened by the ongoing crisis.
The customers included not only locals but also foreigners and government officials. The suspect allowed negotiation of rates, reducing the price from PHP 2,000 to PHP 1,500 or PHP 1,000 per client. The victims revealed that aside from sexual acts, they often experienced abuse from their clients.
Suspect's Statement
Fundador did not deny the allegations and admitted that he knew what he was doing was wrong but was compelled by poverty. He claimed that he, like the victims, was affected by the pandemic and the ongoing economic crisis due to rising oil prices.
“Sometimes I receive 100, sometimes 200 as help for the children because of the pandemic. I used to work at Larsian, but it closed, so I had no other job and had to find a way,” he added. He has been involved in prostitution for two years.
