DOJ recommends filing of qualified sex trafficking charges vs. Gawad Kalinga founder Tony Meloto
The Department of Justice recommended the filing of qualified sex trafficking charges against Tony Meloto, the founder of the non-government organization Gawad Kalinga, who allegedly sexually harassed two beneficiaries.
The Philippine STAR reported that the DOJ National Prosecution Service, in its 16-page joint review resolution, approved the filing of two counts of violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 in court against Meloto. It noted that the original complaint of sexual harassment and acts of lasciviousness are “already absorbed as sexual exploitation, which should not be treated separately from sex trafficking.”
In the resolution, state prosecutors said Meloto’s acts “fall within the definition and elements of sex trafficking, qualified by abuse of authority.”
With Meloto as GK’s founder and the head of its School for Experiential and Entrepreneurial Development program, of which the complainants were scholars, he “received, maintained and harbored the (victims) by accepting them under care and control, giving them shelter and place of refuge, providing them with some basic needs in order to facilitate exploitation.”
“The ultimate purpose in receiving, maintaining, and harboring was shown to be sexual exploitation as complainants gave a detailed account of how the respondent abused them sexually to satisfy his lustful desire,” prosecutors said.
The resolution also stated that Meloto exerted psychological coercion “to be able to control the complaining victims.”
The complainants, who have the aliases "Daniel" and "Michael," filed their complaint with the Department of Justice in November 2024.
According to a report by GMA News' 24 Oras, Daniel recalled that in 2017, he was staying at a GK farm when Meloto allegedly called him to a room and touched him in sensitive areas.
Michael recalled a similar incident during the same year.
ABS-CBN News reported that one of the victims, who wasn't named, recalled a time when Meloto was waiting for visitors under the mango tree. Meloto was allegedly staring at him and commented, “Ang ganda talaga ng katawan mo, Igorot."
One of the victims also allegedly saw Meloto apply cooling gel on another boy's private part while massaging it.
Meloto shuts down allegations
At the time, Meloto and the witnesses he listed in his counter-affidavit denied the accusations, calling them "baseless, false, malicious, and improperly filed."
"[T]he filing of this criminal case was nothing but a harassment suit," he said.
Meloto denied inviting one of the complainants or anyone to his room at the GK farm.
“None of the witnesses of the complainant can convincingly testify to having witnessed me committing any act of sexual misconduct or abuse on the complainant or any other person,” Meloto also said.
He also argued that one of the complainants who traveled with him to a speaking engagement for GK in Lyon in France was a willing traveler abroad, saying, “It is outside the pale of human experience for a person who is being subjugated to human trafficking, emotional and sexual abused, to be able to straightforwardly attend social engagements, much less international social events, functions, and to deliver laudable testimonials and speeches."
As regards the cooling gel, he claimed it would help the scholars to “decrease their sexual urge.”
According to its website, GK was founded in 2003, though its work started in 1995. The organization said it's "dedicated to [eradicating] poverty and [restoring] human dignity."
Meloto is no longer a GK board member, with GMA noting that he's been out of the organization for several years already.
In 2006, Meloto was the recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, dubbed the Nobel Peace Prize of Asia, for his work at GK.
