In June 2004, Charito Rebollos and her sister Edwina Guarin offered J.F.C and K.D.S a job of salesladies or receptionists in Brunei. J.F.C and K.D.S., both college graduates, accepted this offer. They travelled together with Edwina and another applicant M.M. by boat, firstly to Sandakan, Malaysia. Once in Malaysia, Edwina introduced J.F.C, K.D.S. and M.M. to Ibrahim, their future employer. Ibrahim told them that Edwina had recruited them to work as Guest Relations Officers (GROs) in Malaysia and not as salesladies or receptionists. When the girls refused to work as GROs, Ibrahim angrily told them that he had already given a lot of money to Edwina for their expenses. They could therefore leave only if they paid him back PHP 60 000 each.

K.D.S. was sold for 2500 ringgits to the owner of the Tip-Top Bar. She refused to work as a GRO so the owner of the bar suggested to her to work as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant close to the Tip-Top Bar for a salary of 500 ringgits a month until she pays back her debt of 2500 ringgits. This meant that each month her debt grew by 300 ringgits as she was charged 800 ringgits a month for food, lodging  and other expenses. She still accepted to work as a waitress to avoid working as a GRO. In the restaurant, she met Tony, a British national, to whom she confided about her prisoner-like situation. Karen knew from her co-workers that the only way of leaving is to find a man willing to pay for her. She also knew that she would have to have sexual intercourse with Tony but decided that it was better than to engage in prostitution with many different men. Tony paid her boss 8000 ringgits and the boss gave him Karen’s passport. Karen then left the bar with Tony and stayed with him for four months. When her passport expired, Tony told her to go back to Philippines and then he would marry her. As Karen was not in love with him and Tony treated her like property, she has cut off all communication with him once in the Philippines.

J.F.C. refused to work as a GRO and said she would do anything but working in a club. J.F.C. secretly called her mother in Philippines who promised to ask one of her friends in Malaysia to help her escape. J.F.C. successfully came back to the Philippines and filed a complaint for human trafficking against Edwina, Charito and a certain Ibrahim.

Edwina claimed that like J.F.C. and K.D.S., she was also a victim of Ibrahim and was forced to have sexual intercourse with several men in Malaysia. Her testimony was not corroborated by neither of the applicants.