BY SHAY CULLEN
MELBA is a 14-year-old girl that was trafficked by two sisters who were traffickers and preyed on young girls and lured and entrapped them into a life of sexual commercial exploitation. They searched on Facebook for sex tourists residing in the Philippines, offered them young teenagers for sex and arrange for them to meet and they earned big money for themselves. Their victims got a pittance.
Melba was one of them. Like many other trafficked teenage girls, she was vulnerable from a broken home, had little education and was dependent on the traffickers for survival. She was offered online to a wealthy American National. They met and the traffickers took the money and gave him 14-year-old Melba to sexually abuse. They gave him other victims to abuse in sex hotels in Olongapo City and in Subic town that are under the eyes of the authorities. He returned to Angeles City where he had his residence in Clarkview. Meanwhile, Melba and his victims were rescued from other sex tourists and the traffickers arrested. The children were referred to the Preda Home to be safe and recover.They were empowered and testified against the three human traffickers that were detained.
Melba told her Preda counsellor and social worker about her foreign abuser who had abused many other children also. Preda assisted them to file charges against him and it was elevated to the court by the Olongapo City Prosecutor. Judge Gemma Theresa B. Hilario-Logronio of the Olongapo City Family Court Branch 12 then issued an arrest warrant against the suspect, 61-year old US citizen Nicholas Gabriel Pyant. Preda immediately began a search for his whereabouts and finally got his address in Angeles City and passed it to the authorities.
On July 27, 2021, Nichola Gabriel Pyant was arrested in Angeles City by police officers under the command of Police Colonel Rommel S. Batangan for the abuse of Melba and three other minors for multiple acts of abuse and trafficking of minors.
Several child victims of Pyant are in the care and custody of the Preda Foundation, happily recovered and preparing for a new life and ready and willing to testify against their alleged suspected serial abuser and bring him to justice. They previously testified in a case against their three female traffickers who sold them like animals to sex tourists and allegedly to Pyant.
There is satisfaction that justice was done and will be done for the many victims who can live a happier life, free from exploitation and abuse. We must do all we can help make it so report abuse in strict confidence to Preda Foundation 09175324453 or predainfo@gmail.com. (www.preda.org)/PN
