At least nine Filipino women are facing various charges in Hong Kong for their alleged involvement in sex rings there, an official confirmed Saturday. Hong Kong Consul Gen. Claro Cristobal disclosed that the Hong Kong police have informed the Philippine Embassy that four Filipino women were already charged with human trafficking, while the other five are facing breach of condition of stay raps.

Earlier reports have it that all of the Filipinos were nabbed during a morning raid in the southern Chinese city’s Wan Chai red light district on September 3. Such operation is tagged as operation “Zonecleaner,” wherein undercover officers seek to arrest gang’ leaders who were suspected of recruiting women who had originally come to Hong Kong to work as domestic helpers.

“According to the police, the evidence against the four Filipinos’ involvement in human trafficking was airtight, and that the other five were charged because authorities found them in the club while their working visas state that they should work in Hong Kong as household service workers,” Cristobal said in an interview with Vice President Noli de Castro’s radio program titled Para Sa ‘Yo, Bayan aired over dzMM on Saturday.

The arrested Filipinos, however, argued that they were just partying according to Cristobal.
“The hearing is already set this morning,” Cristobal, a former spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs department, said.

The embassy, according to Cristobal, was first informed of such case by the two Filipinos.

Llanesca T. Panti