SPD rescues twin boys; three suspects arrested in anti-trafficking ops in Aurora, Pampanga

The Southern Police District (SPD) rescued eight-month-old twin boys in Candaba, Pampanga, on Sunday, 25 October, following an investigation that led to the arrest of three suspects in Aurora and Pampanga.

Authorities also rescued two other minors during the earlier operation in Aurora.

The case stemmed from a complaint by the twins’ maternal grandmother, alias “GSC,” 45, concerning their alleged transfer to a woman their mother had met through Facebook.

Investigators learned that the mother, alias “DSG,” 24, took the twins from their grandmother following a family dispute on 10 August, and allegedly turned them over to alias “CMPF,” 32.

Initial investigation indicated that CMPF allegedly sent the mother P27,000 through an online transfer and gave her an additional P3,000 in cash. The mother later identified CMPF through a photograph that investigators obtained pursuant to a Warrant to Disclose Computer Data.

On 19 October, personnel of the Taguig City Police Station Women and Children Protection Desk, together with local police and social workers from Taguig City and San Luis, Aurora, conducted an operation at CMPF’s reported residence. The team did not find the twins but rescued two other children, approximately 10 years old and six months old.

The San Luis Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office took the two children into protective custody for assessment while authorities verified their identities and the circumstances surrounding their presence at the residence.

At about 11:20 p.m. that day, police arrested CMPF at the San Luis Municipal Police Station in Barangay 2. During the subsequent investigation, she allegedly disclosed that she had transferred the twins to a couple in Pampanga.

On 21 October, authorities filed a complaint in connection with the case before the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office under Docket No. XV-16-INQ-26J-01959 for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 11862, or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022, and Republic Act No. 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

Acting on information about the twins’ whereabouts, Taguig CPS personnel, together with the Taguig City Social Welfare and Development Office and Candaba Municipal Police Station, conducted an initial follow-up operation in Candaba on 24 October. Investigators continued tracing the children and locating the individuals who reportedly had custody of them.

On 25 October, personnel of the Taguig City Police Station WCPD and Intelligence Section conducted another follow-up operation with Candaba police, technical assistance from Regional Intelligence Unit 3, and support from the concerned social welfare offices. Coordination with local authorities enabled the team to establish contact with the suspects after initially finding them absent from the reported location.

At about 3:45 p.m., police arrested alias “JSC,” 38, and alias “SJAG,” 36, at the Candaba Municipal Police Station and recovered the twins from their custody. The two suspects are live-in partners and residents of Candaba.

Police placed the suspects in custody pending transfer to Taguig City Police Station for the necessary inquest proceedings. Authorities referred the twins to social welfare personnel for assessment, protective custody, and appropriate intervention.

Investigators continue to verify the reported financial transactions and determine the respective roles and possible criminal liability of all individuals involved, including the twins’ mother.