Five victims — four of them minors — were rescued by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from an online sexual exploitation operation in Caloocan City and Rodriguez, Rizal, following a coordinated international probe with Dutch authorities.

The NBI said its Human Trafficking Division (HTRAD), led by Director Judge Jaime B. Santiago (Ret.), arrested one suspect in Caloocan City on October 16 for violations of Republic Act No. 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act, and for qualified trafficking in persons under R.A. No. 9208.

The operation stemmed from a referral by the Dutch National Police on August 18 through the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC), identifying a Filipino individual suspected of producing and distributing child sexual abuse or exploitation materials (CSAEM).

Using open-source intelligence, NBI agents traced several victims, including a 10-year-old elementary student from Caloocan City. Surveillance operations confirmed her identity and uncovered three other minors who had since transferred schools.

Investigators matched distinct features of the suspect’s residence with background elements seen in illicit videos recovered from a Dutch suspect’s devices, prompting authorities to secure a search and seizure warrant for computer data from the property.

During the October 16 operation, NBI operatives — assisted by the Digital Forensics Laboratory, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), and the National Coordination Center’s Cyber-Trafficking Division — seized several electronic devices containing illegal materials.

The operation was witnessed by a member of the Dutch National Police. The suspect was caught in flagrante delicto and brought to NBI headquarters for booking.

Rescue efforts were carried out in coordination with local social welfare offices in Caloocan and Rodriguez, ensuring that the victims were taken into protective custody.