CEBU CITY— Authorities arrested a 75-year-old woman from Talisay City during an entrapment operation inside a motel in Barangay Mabolo on Wednesday, June 19, for her alleged involvement in illegal abortion activities.
Also arrested were a 40-year-old man from Talisay City and a 46-year-old man from Danao City.
They were apprehended after a female police operative posed as a client and arranged a meeting through a Facebook page believed to be used by the suspects in offering abortion services.
The sting was conducted by the Regional Special Project Unit-7 under the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO–7) as a follow-up to the June 13 discovery of three dead fetuses inside a plastic sorting facility in Purok Sibukaw, Barangay Cotcot, Liloan, Cebu.
PRO–7 director BGen. Redrico Maranan said the operation was prompted by the incident in Liloan, which led authorities to intensify efforts across the region to catch persons involved in illegal abortion activities.
Authorities said each abortion procedure cost P40,000, based on the suspects’ accounts during questioning.
The amount was allegedly split evenly between the abortionist and the middleman who facilitated the arrangements online before the in-person meeting.
Police recovered from the suspects surgical tools, abortion-inducing drugs and the marked money.
Investigators said the suspects were caught inside a motel room where they were allegedly about to perform an abortion.
Initial findings revealed that the group had been operating in Cebu City since 2021. Authorities are looking into the possibility that their services reached outside the city.
The 75-year-old woman admitted during an interview with the media that she had conducted around 15 abortion procedures over the past year.
She claimed she only did so after being persistently approached by women, who said they could not afford to raise a child or had health concerns.
Maranan said the suspects will face charges for intentional abortion under Article 256 of the Revised Penal Code.
He also said authorities are investigating whether the motel where the suspects were arrested has knowledge of the abortion. If found complicit, the establishment may face charges and a possible shutdown.
He added that investigators are still determining whether the suspects are connected to the fetuses found in Liloan town.
Authorities are conducting a deeper investigation to establish any link between the two incidents.
Maranan also encouraged potential victims or those with knowledge of similar activities to cooperate with police in ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal abortions in Central Visayas.