ZAMBOANGA CITY (September 29) – Authorities responded quickly to a human trafficking operation, rescuing five women at the Sanga-Sanga Airport in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, on Friday afternoon.
The victims were retrieved at approximately 12:30 p.m., according to Lt. Col. Jeseryl Dela Cruz, chief of the 1st Special Operations Unit-Maritime Group (1SOU-MG). His team acted on a report that arrived at 8:50 a.m. A group of women flew from Manila to Cotabato, then to Tawi-Tawi.
“The joint team proceeded to Sanga-Sanga Airport and conducted verification and profiling of the suspected victims,” Dela Cruz informed the press. “Their actions and movements raised suspicions that they may be victims of human trafficking.”
The Local Committee Against Trafficking and Violence Against Women and Their Children (LCAT-VAWC) investigated and discovered that the women were illegally recruited and offered large pay in Thailand via a “backdoor route” through Tawi-Tawi.
The five rescued women were taken to the 1SOU-MG headquarters for documentation before being transferred to the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD)-Bongao for further help and care.
Dela Cruz stated that the successful operation, which included assistance from other police and military units, proved the PNP Maritime Group’s and partner agencies’ solid teamwork in their ongoing anti-human trafficking efforts.
