Case of child trafficking against a Belgian thrown out

[Dave Hounddriver]

45 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

there probably was nothing to be curious about.

And yet the police were curious enough to arrest him, even though the situation was as you described.  I am not suggesting he is guilty.  Quite the opposite.  I am curious who tipped off the police and if that person should not be charged with some malicious intent.  That is where my curiosity leads me.

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

And yet the police were curious enough to arrest him, even though the situation was as you described.  I am not suggesting he is guilty.  Quite the opposite.  I am curious who tipped off the police and if that person should not be charged with some malicious intent.  That is where my curiosity leads me.

It may have been as simple as 2+2=5.  An overly interested friend/neighbour/relative thinking something smelt off and decided to tip off the police.  As we can see from numerous comments here, the situation is a strange one even if it is innocent.

I suppose it's a sobering tale to avoid putting ourselves in situations that may cause suspicion.

[robert k]

2 hours ago, Tukaram (Tim) said:

I remember reading about this when he was arrested and it always smelled like BS to me. I am glad he cleared his name.  But... if he was facing charges - should he have been allowed to leave the country - even if he made bail?  Seems like he should had to stay here.  Again, glad he cleared his name, but the whole story stinks. 

It does stink. Maybe they hoped he would never come back and they could save face that way, but the pesky foreigner kept fighting it.

[robert k]

1 hour ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

And yet the police were curious enough to arrest him, even though the situation was as you described.  I am not suggesting he is guilty.  Quite the opposite.  I am curious who tipped off the police and if that person should not be charged with some malicious intent.  That is where my curiosity leads me.

Maybe snack money was running low? It was a weak to nonexistent case with two young adult family members along, but how much might someone pay to not be bothered by it? The young adults at 18-19 could have looked 16-17 and then it would have been a great case.. Whether by accident or design, the foreigner was covered. And yet the police still arrested him. Maybe it's like in the US, "You can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride".

Edited July 31, 2019 by robert k

[Tukaram (Tim)]

2 hours ago, robert k said:

It does stink. Maybe they hoped he would never come back and they could save face that way, but the pesky foreigner kept fighting it.

No, the family immediately came to his support.  I don't know if you are attempting to funny or be a jerk...  so not sure if it worked ha ha   

[Jake]

What happened to his bail of 120K pesos?  Will it be returned to him?  Or was it already spent by the judge and the police chief?  He may have some desire to return to PI but he should make certain that he's not on the "blacklist".   

This is pure speculation but it's common among common folks.  It's called crab mentality.  Others may see this young family being openly supported by a foreigner and they're not getting a piece of the action.   All it takes is one phone call to PNP with exaggerated tsimis (gossip). 

And another opportunity for the PNP to make some extra cash........ 

[Jollygoodfellow]

5 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

And yet the police were curious enough to arrest him, even though the situation was as you described.  I am not suggesting he is guilty.  Quite the opposite.  I am curious who tipped off the police and if that person should not be charged with some malicious intent.  That is where my curiosity leads me.

From memory places like bus terminals, hotels etc must report suspicious situations when it involves a foreigner and children. It could have been someone running the bus station who might have thought the two older ones were younger and called in the law as we have seen before at a ferry terminal.

[OnMyWay]

31 minutes ago, Jake said:

What happened to his bail of 120K pesos?  Will it be returned to him?  Or was it already spent by the judge and the police chief?  He may have some desire to return to PI but he should make certain that he's not on the "blacklist".   

This is pure speculation but it's common among common folks.  It's called crab mentality.  Others may see this young family being openly supported by a foreigner and they're not getting a piece of the action.   All it takes is one phone call to PNP with exaggerated tsimis (gossip). 

And another opportunity for the PNP to make some extra cash........ 

That is what I was thinking Jake.  If they let him leave the country, basically for a p120,000 payment, the money was taken and they thought, cased closed.  As mentioned, the "pesky foreigner" wasn't having any of that, and good for him that the charges were dropped.

Also, I don't think it was mentioned here that I think this was right around the time when they started offering rewards for turning in pedophiles.  So it is highly likely that someone dropped a dime on him.  What I don't get is why he was charged if two aunts over 18 were with them?  Doesn't make sense according to what I remember of the law discussed here.

Serves as a reminder to some of us.  I think there are a few members living with girlfriends and the girlfriend's child or children.  You are not supposed to be alone with them.

Could have been me several years ago.  Living with my future wife before she was annulled.  Strike 1.  Living with her then 8 year old daughter too.  Possible strike 2 but I made sure my wife never left us alone, primarily because of discussions here on the forum.

Today the schools were closed because of a few raindrops, so we all went to SM Clark after I saw my doc at TMC Clark (Angeles City).  Had a nice time, mostly kid's stuff.  The last stop was a play place for the 3 and 5 year old.  My wife went in with them while my now 15 year old step-daughter and I sat on bench outside, just people watching.  Earlier in our visit, I had seen several old farts wandering about with girls on their arm who looked very young and were dressed provocatively!  I would bet they were legal, just very young looking.  So, we are sitting there just chatting and all of a sudden I thought, I wonder if some of these people think she is my girlfriend or date???    She is a very conservative dresser, still looks her age or younger, and is very, very fair skinned, so hopefully they thought I was her daddy, not her sugar daddy!

[robert k]

3 hours ago, Tukaram (Tim) said:

No, the family immediately came to his support.  I don't know if you are attempting to funny or be a jerk...  so not sure if it worked ha ha   

Contextually, I was speaking on the police. The court granting bail on a case that should have clearly been thrown out on the face of it is what stinks. From your quote, it looks like you didn't get past the first sentence, or possibly, "I don't know if you are attempting to funny or be a jerk...  so not sure if it worked ha ha" is my opinion of your post also. 

Edited July 31, 2019 by robert k
typo

[Mike J]

7 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

So, we are sitting there just chatting and all of a sudden I thought, I wonder if some of these people think she is my girlfriend or date???

One of my nieces is quite small and also very cute.  When she was 17, I was giving her a ride on my scooter and following a tricycle.  The girls in the trike were speaking to her in Basayan.  She said they wanted to know if I was her boyfriend.  So yes, strangers who do not know you can get the wrong impression.   There are enough pedophiles living here that we do need to be careful so we don't get painted with the same brush.