DOJ warns of online child-selling schemes, launches sting operations
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has raised alarm over the escalating prevalence of online child trafficking schemes, in which infants are openly marketed as commodities on major social media platforms.
The DOJ and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) confirmed that syndicates and financially distressed individuals are posting explicit “child for sale” advertisements online.
These babies are reportedly being offered for between ₱10,000 and ₱20,000. In response, law enforcement agencies have launched coordinated entrapment operations to dismantle these networks, rescue the infants, and prosecute those involved in human trafficking.
“It is deeply alarming that the digital spaces meant to connect our communities are being weaponized by traffickers to commodify human life,” IACAT Executive Director Hannah Manalili said in a recent radio interview.
“We are tracking these illegal digital footprints. Our operatives are executing aggressive sting operations to extract these innocent children from harm and ensure that anyone buying or selling a child faces the full, unmitigated force of the law.”
Investigations conducted by the DOJ point to severe economic hardship and the pursuit of quick financial gains as factors behind the reported cases.
According to DOJ Assistant Secretary Michelle Anne Lapuz, extreme poverty has driven some parents to sell their newborn infants or distribute sensitive and explicit images of their children online to support their families.
The DOJ emphasized that while economic hardship remains a serious social concern, the exploitation and commercialization of children constitute serious criminal offenses.
The department also warned that online child trafficking may violate several laws carrying severe penalties.
Under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9208), as amended by RA 10364, perpetrators of qualified human trafficking involving minors may face life imprisonment and fines of up to ₱5 million, without eligibility for parole.
Meanwhile, the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (RA 10175) provides for the imposition of penalties one degree higher when crimes are committed through information and communications technology.
The Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act (RA 11930) also imposes severe penalties, including life imprisonment and fines of up to ₱20 million, for covered offenses involving the exploitation of minors.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) cybercrime divisions are also working with international technology platforms to flag, block, and track accounts involved in online child-selling activities.
The government urged netizens to remain vigilant and immediately report suspicious online posts, groups, or transactions involving child placement or adoption through official IACAT channels.