3 rescued from Ilongga’s Bar in Ivory Coast

Request to Rescue 3 Filipinas
An urgent request to please rescue 4 Filipinas in Ivory Coast was received on Monday, April 6, 2009 10:05:27 PM from the CMA Director Ellene Sana. According to her, one of the distressed Filipinas is a daughter of an MNLF commander in General Santos city ACE WENDY JUTAR -- she and the 3 others were confined in a place. They have been denied food since March 27 because they refused to work in the bar. They were directly recruited from the Philippines.

She further said that she received an SMS from Wendy that she cannot endure her situation for long. Her stomach is painful because of food deprivation and she may just try to jump off from the building where they are kept.

She requested Pusong Pinoy to please convey the message to the ambassador there and “to do something about the situation - we need to rescue the women! asap! “
she further gave the following information:
Wendy may be contacted by sms or phone call:
Her Phil. roaming number: +63 929 210 2997
Africa number: +22 566 94409


And also sent this message to the Philippine Embassy:

dear cda alex la madrid:

we write to request urgent help to rescue 4 filipino women in distress in ivory coast.

one of the women is ACE WENDY JUTAR, daughter of Ricardo Grijaldo aka Commander Kidlat of MNLF from Panabo, Davao del Norte.

wendy was illegally recruited to work as a saleslady in a hardware store in treuchiville, ivory coast. when she arrived there on march 27, she was told that she would be working in a night club together with 3 other filipino women. she refused. because of that, the employer locked her up without food to date. she could be contacted discretely. she has a cellphone and a knife.

her latest text message to her mother, ms. mila jutar, who flew in to manila yesterday, was that she is very very hungry and if she is not rescued ASAP she mihght just try to jump off from the building where she is kept.

her address: neomi carnaje shen 01 BP 1619
abidjan 01, treichville, ivory coast.

she is kept onthe second floor. on the first floor, there is a sign ilonga bar.

her secret phone numbers:

roaming: +63 929 210 2997
west african number: +22 566 94409.

one other woman there who's identity has been disclosed to us is geraldine medina.

please respond asap!

we sent an sms to usec conejos yesterday and we did not get any response yet. may be he is still in geneva....but this is quite urgent so please come to the rescue of wendy and the other girls.

thank you.

sincerely yours,

ellene a. sana
executive director
Center for Migrant Advocacy Philippines*
72-C Matahimik Street, Teachers’ Village
Quezon City, Philippines
Email: cma@tri-isys.com
URL: www.pinoy-abroad.net
url2: www.japan.pinoy-abroad.net

This request was immediately acted upon by Consul-General Alex Lamadrid and sent Doy Abrillo.

3 rescued from Ilongga’s Bar in Ivory Coast By Annelle Tayao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:01:00 05/03/2009

Filed Under: Overseas Employment, Migration, Prostitution
Most Read
THIS young woman from General Santos City saw a great opportunity when she was offered a three-month job as a cashier/waitress in Europe for a whopping P150,000 a month.
However, opportunity soon turned into nightmare as she found herself not in Europe, but in a dark, dingy club called Ilongga’s Bar in Ivory Coast, Africa, where she and three other girls were forced to dress with barely any skin cover and “entertain” the club’s customers—seamen they were also forced to pick up from a nearby port.
“At first, I did what I was told,” said the victim in a phone interview. “I thought meeting new people might be useful to me later.”
When that proved useless, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She asked her employer, a Filipino woman from Iloilo married to a Chinese, to release her and her companions’ passports.
When the employer refused, the strong-willed 27-year-old also refused to follow any more orders.
“They locked me up inside the room. They refused to give me food,” said the victim whose father, incidentally, is a former commander of the Moro National Liberation Front.
The three-month stint was supposed to have been an exciting adventure for the victim and her friend, who had told her about the job in the first place.
“My friend was looking for company. That’s why I agreed to go,” she said.
“After all, the supposed job was good. I could save for future investments.”
Sex with 60 different men
The offer came from two recruiters, who introduced themselves as siblings Marisol and Arnold Granada. They took care of the passports, visas, and all other requirements the victim and her friend needed, and only met with them twice. No agency was involved. And no payment either.
Adding to the shady transaction was the escort who met with the victim, her friend and the two other girls at the airport.
“She was wearing a hat, covering her face,” said the victim. “She told us to sit beside her.”
The escort proceeded to give the ladies detailed instructions on where to line up and which immigration officer to approach, so that “no questions would be asked.”
In Africa, where the four women arrived March 28, a certain Noemi Carnaje Shen, whom they later found out to be the owner of the club, hurriedly escorted them out of the airport and into a van. “She simply asked, ‘Are you the women they sent here?’” said the victim.
They were then brought straight to a small, dark room in the club, where Shen explained the girls’ official job description. “We were told we would have sex with 60 different men. We were told we would work for her for two years,” said the victim.
According to Shen, the four women were already “paid for”—$6,000 each—and had to pay off the money which Shen had given to the recruiters and an immigration officer.
Mother contacts Inquirer
Within a week, after the victim’s personal rebellion which led to her eventual starvation and lock-up, she decided to finally cry out for help 11,000 kilometers away—in General Santos to her mother.
In a text message sent April 3, the victim relayed her and her companions’ situation to her mother. And just like her daughter, the quick-thinking 47-year-old sought the help of friend Julie Manero, who sent word to the Inquirer, which then contacted Ellene Sana, executive director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA).
“The victim’s mother and the husband of one of her companions eventually came here to our office,” said CMA case officer Anna Navarro. “We then drafted a letter to the Philippine embassy in Nigeria, the closest one where the victim was being held.”
The CMA also assisted the victim’s mother contact the Department of Foreign Affairs, which took immediate action by keeping in constant communication with the victim through her cell phone.
The Philippines embassy in Nigeria also promptly responded to the letter, and soon informed the victim’s mother that they, too, were able to contact the victim. Doy Abrillo, administrative officer of the embassy, personally went to fetch the victim from the club where she was being held.
The victim’s employer, however, did not give her up without a fight.
The employer also refused to release the women’s passports. “According to Mr. Abrillo, the embassy had to pay $300 so that the employer would release the women,” Navarro said.
By April 15, three of the four women were already in the Philippine embassy’s care. The fourth chose to stay behind because she needs money to send back home. She will later try to look for another job. The three finally came home on April 19.
“If you really want to work abroad,” said the victim, “check the agency with the POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration). Moderate your greed. If the offer is too big, chances are, it’s not true.”