CARMEN, North Cotabato — Eight minors, including three young girls allegedly exploited for online sexual activities, were successfully rescued following a joint entrapment and rescue operation conducted by law enforcement authorities in Barangay Liliongan, Carmen, on Thursday afternoon, January 15.
Arrested during the operation was a 23-year-old suspect identified by authorities as alias “MJ,” who was the subject of a police operational plan (COPLAN). The suspect is facing serious criminal charges for violations of laws protecting children from online sexual abuse and exploitation.
According to the Women and Children Protection Center–Mindanao Field Unit (WCPC-MFU), authorities simultaneously implemented a Warrant to Search, Seize, and Examine Computer Data (WSSECD) at the suspect’s residence. Seized during the raid were a desktop computer and a mobile phone, both believed to have been used in the production and distribution of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials. The digital devices will undergo forensic examination to recover videos, photographs, and chat records that may further strengthen the case and identify possible accomplices.
The operation was carried out in line with the directive of Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr., Acting Chief of the Philippine National Police, who has ordered intensified nationwide action against technology-facilitated crimes targeting children.
The Carmen Municipal Police Station led the operation, with support from the Provincial Intelligence Unit of the North Cotabato Police Provincial Office, the Provincial Women and Children Protection Desk, Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit 12, the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Carmen, Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 12, Project Rescue Children, the DOJ–National Coordination Center Against OSAEC, and International Justice Mission.
All rescued minors were immediately turned over to the MSWDO-Carmen for proper assessment, temporary shelter, and psychosocial intervention. Authorities also conducted Video In-Depth Disclosure Interviews (VIDI) as part of evidence documentation, ensuring that child-sensitive procedures were strictly observed.
Police said the suspect remains in the custody of the Carmen Municipal Police Station while facing multiple criminal charges under Republic Act 11930 (Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act), Republic Act 11862, and Republic Act 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act).
In a statement, Nartatez stressed that the PNP will not tolerate any form of child exploitation, whether committed online or offline. “Those who prey on children will be held fully accountable under the law,” he said, emphasizing that protecting children is a shared responsibility of law enforcement, families, communities, and the public.
The PNP renewed its call on parents and guardians to remain vigilant over their children’s online activities and urged the public to immediately report suspicious behavior involving minors on digital platforms to prevent abuse and save children from harm.