The Quezon City Regional Trial Court, Branch 86, recently convicted four individuals for qualified trafficking in persons under Section 4(k) in relation to Section 6(a) of RA 9208, as amended by RA 10364.

In March 2022, a plea from parents seeking the return of their eight-month-old baby went viral online. The mother, burdened by online sabong debts, decided to sell her child to someone she met through a Facebook group called “Bahay Ampunan.”

On 3 March 2022, she met the individual, later identified as a middleman, at a fast food chain in Quezon City, where the baby was exchanged for P45,000.

The Human Trafficking Division (HTRAD) carried out an entrapment operation that led to the baby’s rescue and the arrest of a Filipina and a Nigerian national in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. The mother and the middleman were arrested in May 2022 under a warrant.

The case involved charges of kidnapping under the Revised Penal Code, violations of RA 7610 (Special Protection Against Children Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination), and RA 9208 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003).

On 18 October, Acting Presiding Judge Teodoro Bay of the Quezon City RTC Branch 86 found all accused guilty beyond reasonable doubt of Qualified Trafficking in Persons and sentenced them to life imprisonment with a fine of P2,000,000 each.

In recognition of their efforts, on November 29, Pasig City Mayor Victor Ma. Regis Sotto and City Social Welfare and Development Office Head Ma. Teresa O. Briones acknowledged the key individuals involved in the conviction.

Among those recognized were the four NBI agents who made the arrests and provided vital testimony, which was crucial in securing justice for the child and for victims of human trafficking.

NBI director Jaime Santiago said that the judgment serves as a testament to the NBI’s commitment to fighting human trafficking as he stressed that the decision sends a strong message to those engaged in trafficking, sexual exploitation, and other crimes against women and children, while also inspiring HTRAD agents in their continued efforts to combat these crimes.