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MANILA, Philippines — Selling babies is bad enough. But the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) on Friday disclosed a scheme with infants as young as one month, not only being bought, but even sold anew, or traded through “buy-and-sell.”
According to the agency, three suspects were arrested in an entrapment and rescue operation on Nov. 18 after they were caught selling a month-old baby girl for P40,000—or double the original price of P20,000 for which they allegedly bought the infant earlier that day.
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The infant was put up for sale on Facebook, where such illicit activities usually operate online.
Proper intervention
The Women and Children Protection Center of the Philippine National Police led the entrapment and rescue and subsequently filed charges of violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (Republic Act No. 9208) against the unnamed offenders, who police said were between 22 and 26 years old.
“This is just too much. We will not take this sitting [down]. They must be punished for committing a heinous crime and with a clear goal of economic gain—all done against a defenseless child,” NACC Undersecretary Janella Estrada said in a statement.
NACC has turned over the rescued infant to a facility accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
It said it is also coordinating with other concerned agencies regarding the illegal sale of babies, so those rescued would get proper intervention.
Based on the latest NACC data, 12 more Facebook groups had been taken down as of October, on top of the more than 20 uncovered last year.