NCRPO standardizes victim protection protocols
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is strengthening protocols to ensure the proper identification, protection, and referral of human trafficking victims rescued during police operations across Metro Manila.
NCRPO officer-in-charge Brig. Gen. Christopher Abrahano directed police district commanders and unit chiefs Friday to coordinate immediately with social workers, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking whenever potential trafficking victims are encountered.
Abrahano stressed that officers must treat rescued individuals with sensitivity, protect minors, and avoid treating victims as offenders simply because they were found inside premises where illegal operations took place.
“Rescuing potential victims is only part of our responsibility. We must ensure that they are treated with dignity, protected from further harm, and connected with the agencies that can provide the assistance they need,” Abrahano said.
“Our operations must pursue those responsible for trafficking while safeguarding the rights and welfare of the people being exploited,” he added.
Under the directive, regional personnel will receive reinforced training on identifying red flags associated with trafficking, including deceptive recruitment schemes, forced labor, coercion, and restrictions on movement. Police were also instructed to handle victim information strictly to prevent retaliation or public exposure.
Concurrently, the NCRPO reported ongoing progress in its regional anti-illegal drug campaign, conducting 206 operations from 4 to 10 October that resulted in the arrest of 265 suspects and the seizure of an estimated P5.927 million worth of illicit substances.
Commenting on a recent assessment by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency citing a local scarcity of shabu, Abrahano ordered district commanders to maintain intelligence pressure on supply lines, distribution networks, and financing sources.
PDEA spokesperson Attorney Joseph Frederick Calulut recently noted that a foreign syndicate had attempted to charter a flight from Laos carrying a P3.54 billion drug shipment bound for Metro Manila, which was intercepted by Laotian authorities resulting in the arrest of a Filipino national.