The Philippine National Police – Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) successfully rescued a seven-month-old baby from an online baby-selling operation during an entrapment and rescue mission conducted on November 6, 2024, in San Jose, Rodriguez, Rizal.
According to a PNP report, the operation was initiated after a Facebook account under the name “Cloie Mae Cruz” in the group “Legal Child Adoption Group Ph” offered to sell the infant for PHP 35,000. The suspect sent photos of the baby to an undercover agent and invited the supposed buyer to her residence.
In collaboration with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Montalban, Rizal, the PNP-WCPC Luzon Field Unit arrested the 29-year-old suspect during the rescue operation. The baby was immediately provided medical attention.
“No matter the reason, child exploitation is unacceptable and disturbing,” said Janella Ejercito-Estrada, Undersecretary of the National Authority for Child Care (NACC). She emphasized that the agency is determined to bring perpetrators to justice and ensure children’s safety.
The operation is part of the NACC’s and PNP-WCPC’s nationwide campaign to end illegal adoption and child exploitation, both online and physical. Since May 2024, the joint efforts of the NACC, PNP-WCPC, Department of Information and Communication Technology – Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (DICT-CICC), and National Bureau of Investigation Anti-Human Trafficking Division (NBI-AHTRAD) have resulted in the rescue of six children and the arrest of six suspects in separate operations.
“We will not stop. The NACC’s priority is to end illegal adoption, whether online or physical. We will ensure that the children are safe and that justice is served,” Estrada stated.
In June, the NACC and PNP-WCPC partnered with the DICT-CICC to intensify surveillance and shut down Facebook accounts and groups facilitating illegal adoption and baby selling. From 23 identified groups earlier this year, 14 have been successfully taken down. Nine others are currently under investigation. (PR)
