File photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A couple from Cebu City will be facing human trafficking charges after authorities discovered that they allegedly sold their newborn baby for P100,000.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Maria Theresa Macatangay, deputy director for Operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said that they are now preparing for the filing of human trafficking charges against the couple.
Macatangay said similar charges may also be filed against the persons who purchased the baby and the middleman who assisted in making the transaction possible.
READ: Mother, live-in partner jailed after selling newborn; authorities rescue baby
The suspects’ modus was brought into light after a concerned citizen overheard one of the suspects’ children saying that their newborn baby sister was sold to buy a new phone.
The infant was the woman’s eighth child. Police also learned that she had previously sold her seventh child.
READ: Cebu City cracks down on child exploitation, trafficking
A social media post made by the concerned citizen about the alleged infant selling operation caught the attention of the City Social Welfare and Services (CSWS) in Cebu City.
Newborn baby
Alarmed, CSWS personnel sought the help of Mambaling police in verifying the report through an operation conducted last Friday, March 7.
READ: Infant in Taguig rescued from online trafficking
When authorities arrived at the couple’s residence in Brgy. Duljo Fatima, the suspects were caught playing “tong-its” and were arrested for illegal gambling.
After their arrest, the couple was made to contact the middleman whom they allegedly hired to help sell their baby.
READ: Cebu City cracks down on child exploitation, trafficking
Using the information from the middleman, authorities were able rescue the newborn baby in Brgy. Guadalupe on the same day.
Investigation revealed that the infant was sold and brought to the buyer’s house on March 6, the same day that she was discharged from a public hospital in Cebu City.
The mother reportedly gave birth at the hospital on February 20. After giving birth, the baby was given medical care due to some complications.
On March 6, the middleman met with the baby’s father outside of the hospital and accompanied him at the billing counter to pay their hospital bills. They used the money that was given by the buyer for the child to be discharged.
Poverty
From the hospital, the middleman accompanied the couple to the alleged buyer, a nurse and military man.
The couple then returned home after they were promised that the agreed pay of P75, 000 and an additional amount of P30, 000 will be delivered to their address.
Earlier, the couple had also allegedly sold their seventh baby, which the mother claimed to have done due to their poverty.
As of this writing, the rescued baby and her siblings were placed under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Human trafficking
Their parents were detained at the custodial facility of the Mambaling Police Station while the police prepare for the filing of illegal gambling and human trafficking charges against them.
Macatangay said they continue to investigate whether the middleman and the couple, who bought the baby, could also be held liable for violating the anti-human trafficking law.
In addition, they will also be requesting for a copy of the infant’s certificate of live birth to determine if the buyers committed an illegal act referred to as simulation of birth record.
This refers to the “tampering of the civil registry record to make it appear in the record of birth that a child was born to a person who is not such child’s biological mother, causing the loss of the true identity and status of such child.”
Investigation
The ongoing investigation, headed by the Women and Children’s Protection Desk, also aims to identify the buyer’s intention in purchasing the baby, Macatangay said.
Following the discovery of this incident, which is a first in Cebu City, authorities are urging the public to report any suspicious activities involving the purchase of infants that they would hear about.
“We would also want to appeal to the public, to hospitals, to medical practitioners, to members of the community, kung naa silay madunggan nga ingon-ani nga hitabo or insidente (that if they hear of a similar incident), they should not hesitate to report to authorities so that ma-imbestigahan (this could be investigated) properly,” Macatangay said.
Moreover, she is urging individuals or couples who wanted to have their own children to follow the legal adoption process.
The Cebu City government, for its part, is intensifying its fight against online sexual exploitation and human trafficking after Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia signed an executive order forming an inter-agency task force to combat these types of crimes. with a report from Futch Anthony Inso