Online child abuse suspect caught

The National Bureau of Investigation–Violence Against Women and Children Division (NBI-VAWCD) scored a breakthrough in its intensified campaign against online sexual exploitation of children with the arrest of a suspect in Marilao, Bulacan.

The suspect, identified by NBI Director Jaime B. Santiago as alias “Tisay,” is set to face charges under several laws: Republic Act 9208, as amended by RA 11862 (Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022); RA 11930 (Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials); and RA 7610 (Anti-Child Abuse Law).

The operation stemmed from a referral by the Homeland Security Investigations regarding Philippine phone numbers involved in Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children. According to the HSI, this referral was based on the arrest of a US citizen in Springfield, Massachusetts, by the US Federal authorities, for child exploitation crime.

Investigation conducted by NBI-VAWCD revealed the subject’s involvement in offering sexually explicit content involving minors and sending CSAEMs to foreign pedophiles.

Through surveillance, authorities were able to pinpoint the subject’s address. NBI-VAWCD agents then secured a court-approved Warrant to Search, Seize, and Examine Computer Data.