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CEBU, Philippines?Four Japanese nationals, including one woman, were arrested by Lapu-Lapu City police for videotaping two partners having sex on the seashore of an islet off Olango.
The tourists were charged with violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code which punishes ?indecent? acts and ?obscenity?. They were released Thursday after posting P24,000 bail.
?This is fair warning to those who would like to enjoy our city. Enjoy yourself but do not abuse our hospitality, said Lapu-Lapu Police Chief Louie Oppus.
?We are trying to protect our integrity and our wholesomeness as a tourist destination.?
The police caught 26-year-old Miyawaki Yuki, the only female in the group, having sexual intercourse with her companion Yokomizo Masahi, 36, on Sulpa Islet at about 5 p.m. of Wednesday. Both are single. Their other companions Izuno Hiwaki, 24, and Takimoto Yuichiro, 40, were videotaping the couple. The visitors, all from Tokyo, Japan, are staying at a hotel in Cebu City.
Masahi, in a television interview, said they were all friends. He said the videotaping session was just a ?hobby? with his girlfriend.
Sulpa islet, which is located off the southern tip of Olango Island, near Mactan, is known for its white sand beaches. It is about 10 to 15 minutes travel by boat from Olango mainland. The area has few residents staying in the area during daytime but no one is living there at night, said police.
Interviewed at the detention cell, the Japanese nationals said in halting English that they went to the remote islet for a ?private? videotaping session and that the activity was for ?leisure?.
However, the police chief thinks otherwise. Oppus said it was not the first time law enforcers received reports of tourists engaging in lewd activities in the islets of Lapu-Lapu.
Oppus said he believed the material was intended for sale as a pornographic video through the Internet or pirated VCDs or DVDs.
Oppus said police had arrested foreigners for similar offenses before, when he was not yet Lapu-Lapu police chief, but that charges did not prosper because the photos in the camera used were deleted. This time, he said, the evidence remained intact.
Police Inspector Junnel Caadlawon said lawmen made the arrest at about 5 p.m. and confiscated the video camera used in the filming as evidence.
Two bird wardens at the bird sanctuary in Olango Island earlier noticed the filming and reported the activity to the Lapu-Lapu City Police precinct in Sta. Rosa, Olango Island.
The police confiscated five digital cameras, two Panasonic Tape DVM 60 used for the pornographic movie, condoms and various belongings.
Caadlawon said the four Japanese could hardly speak English but, through an interpreter, they insisted they were engaging in a leisure activity.
The Japanese consul in Cebu, Shigekazu Sakunaga, declined to issue a statement. A female staffer said it was ?premature to give any statement because we don?t have much information yet.?
Police yesterday filed a complaint for violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code for indecent acts against the four Japanese before the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor's Office.
Provincial Board member Agnes Magpale, chairperson of the committee on tourism, lauded the police and the local government for the arrest. She said that while Cebu is a tourist destination, visitors must respect the sensibilities of the local community.
?Daghan nagreklamo sa daghan nang katuigan . (There have been many complaints over the years) This time, the awareness of the local government is heightened so I?d like to congratulate the local government for doing a good job.?
She asked Lapu-Lapu officials to enact an ordinance that would address the situation.
?We want to make tourists aware of the need to respect our culture,? she said.
Police will be coordinating with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) on the status of the four Japanese visitors since they were not able to show their passports to the arresting officers. Only their tourist guide was able to give the police the names of the Japanese nationals.
BI Regional Director Geronimo Roxas said the foreigners could be deported for their conduct.
With a report by Correspondent Rene F. Alima
