Their father was working as a manager inside Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ), the former military naval base that Preda successfully campaigned to have closed and transformed into an economic zone, thus ending an era of sexual exploitation.

The father returned to Japan and left his family with a small house and some money. The twins' mother had a secret live-in partner for years and they squandered the money on parties, drugs and gambling. Soon, the house was sold and they were impoverished.

Not only did the live-in partner of the mother take all the property, he also took the girls as his sex slaves.

When their step-brother saw this, he too began to abuse them. They were terrified by threats to kill them both. Their mother did nothing when they begged her for help, and said they were lying. This was devastating for them and they had no way to escape. They were out of school, kept as sex slaves, and missed learning about the help and protection given by Preda. But a good neighbour attended a Preda seminar and knew where to get help for the twins. . . only to find they had mysteriously disappeared.

When the mother and her livepartner had run out of money and sold the house and all the appliances, they were living like squatters and had nothing. The mother had contacted a local pimp and sold the children into a sex club in Manila. They were only 16 years old and were turned into child prostitutes by the club, raped and given to customers. They began drinking, and were forced to work as strippers and prostitutes.

After the twins had been sold to the sex club, Preda received a report from a neighbour who saw the mother getting money from the pimp in Olongapo and then realised where the twins had been taken.

The Preda Rescue Team then went to the sex club but they were not there and it was discovered that they were being trafficked to Japan and were in a staging house near the airport. The exact address was unknown and nothing could be done until suddenly Irene was able to escape and returned to the shack in Olongapo City. The neighbour texted Preda on the hot line and immediately the Preda rescue team scrambled, picked up the mother and contacted a police unit to respond and assist the rescue.

They were just in time. Isabel was still in the house full of young girls being trafficked to Japan. The flight schedule was pinned up on the wall.

The pimps arrived and began to argue with the police, claiming that they had an understanding with the police chief. But the police we had with us were from a different station.

While they were busy discussing the pay-off, the Preda team went into the house with the mother and found Isabel. They hurried her out into the van and sped away before anyone could stop them. It was clear that there would be no investigation and no arrests. If only we could have rescued all the girls, it would have been a great day's work but unfortunately it was impossible.

The girls were teenagers and one of them had a baby.

In the Preda Home for Girls, the twin sisters were provided with basic needs like shelter and protective custody, legal assistance, education and emotional release therapy. They cried and screamed for hours as they released their years of pent-up anger, fear and hatred of the abuse done to them.

They both gradually released the pain and hardship buried deep inside and were able to open up freely to the therapists. Soon they were both participating in the games, group dynamics and training sessions that helped them to start life all over again.

The mother felt sick and wanted to get the children out of the children's home but this, we believed, was a ploy to traffic them again.

However, we bought her a sewing machine and trained her to sew recycled drink pouches into carrier bags.

She did well and was able to support herself and gave up trying to get the girls to run away so the pimp could get them. The occupational therapy during semester breaks was a way for the girls to earn pocket money and feel a sense of independence.

They were earning good money for themselves and their families by sorting and arranging the drink pouches according to type and size.

They all sit together singing and laughing as they do this worthwhile and simple chore in their spare time. The work is light and has an empowering influence on them, and then they go to the market and buy gifts for their parents and personal things for themselves.

These throwaway drink pouches left around schools and canteens give the collectors a good income.

They are given to the family-based sewing groups, who have been trained as quality seamstresses.

They make them into fashionable high-quality, brightly-coloured bags and backpacks of all designs. They are selling well in many countries abroad and are a terrific recycling project that helps keep families together and prevents trafficking and child prostitution.

Today, Isabel and Irene have both graduated from high school and are enrolled in college studying social work. One day, they will qualify and come back to the Preda Home for Girls as social workers, rescuing abused children and saving those children trafficked and enslaved as they once were.