A 28-year-old transgender finds himself ensnared in an entrapment operation in General Trias, Cavite for the crime of “sextortion” and other offenses.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), operating under the organized and transnational crime division, received a tip regarding cybercrime and extortion activities involving Dave Abaño, a member of the LGBTQ community.

In a confrontation with the media, Abaño casually claimed boredom as his reason for victimizing young men, including the one whose report led to his apprehension.

The suspect is now facing charges of grave coercion, illegal use of an alias, use of a fictitious name, and violation of the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Law.

Beyond the “sextortion” charges, investigators found that Abaño not only coerced explicit content from his 18-year-old victim but also assumed the identity of a woman to entice the latter into compromising situations on camera.

In an emotional interview, the victim, identified as “Ben,” revealed that he was deceived into believing he was interacting with a woman online.

““Ang nangyari po kasi nun, ako po ang unang pinag-open ng cam. And while doing it, and then hindi na po siya nag-open cam right after. After po nun, bigla niya pong sinend yong mga videos na ni-record niya po. Pinost niya po yun sa Facebook, online, IG and other social media. Nandun po yong picture ko. Nandun po yong profile ko,” Ben said.

Abaño, maintaining contact with the victim, then posed as someone capable of removing the explicit videos from social media.

Eventually, he shifted tactics, proposing a sexual relationship with the victim in exchange for removing the compromising content.

The victim, distressed, recounted, “Binababoy niye po alo nang palăng kapalag-palag.”

Unsatisfied, Abaño demanded P368,000 in cash from the victim, compelling the latter to disclose everything to his parents and the NBI.

In a confrontation with the victim’s parents, Abaño admitted guilt, chalking it up to boredom.

“Unang una po, boring po ako that time. Hindi hindi na po ako uulit. Pag uulit pa ako, ako mismo ang lalapit dito para sa kasalanan ko,” Abaño said. 

Authorities, examining Abaño’s cellphone, discovered that he had victimized multiple people using the same modus operandi.

They now encourage potential victims to press charges against Abaño, aiming to deter others from engaging in similar criminal activities.