A woman and her daughter in Cagayan de Oro were nabbed for allegedly selling nude photos and videos of their minor relatives online.
Personnel of the Women and Children Protection Center-Mindanao Field Unit (WCPC-MFU) launched an operation in Barangay Agusan after receiving information from the Australian Federal Police that there are victims of online sexual exploitation in the area.
“Yung unit natin, undercover investigators natin, nag-conduct ng in-depth online investigation kung saan na pin-point natin na dito sa Barangay Agusan ang location ng mga suspek,” WCPC-MFU Regional Chief, Lt. Col. Mario Baquiran Jr., said.
During the operation, authorities rescued five minors – one boy and four girls. The eldest is 16 years old and the youngest is six.
Police found that the victims are all relatives of the suspects.
Authorities recovered several cellphones allegedly used in taking nude photos and videos of the victims.
“Hindi lang pinaghuhubad kundi pinasayaw sayaw, nilalaro yung private parts nitong mga victims,” Baquiran added.
The suspects reportedly owned up to the crime. They said they were forced to do so because of the difficulties of life.
The suspects allegedly received P5,000 to P10,000 per nude photo and video from their foreign clients.
“Naa gyud ang pagmahay… guilty… naa tanan kay akoa tong mga ig-agaw, first cousin to nako, pero wala nay mabuhat kay naa naman ni,” one of the suspects said.
The suspects are facing charges for violation of the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act (RA 11930).
“Malaking kaso itong hinaharap nila itong Republic Act 930 natin o Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children ay may kaparusahan life sentence at may multang 1 to 2 million,” Baquiran said.
The victims are now under the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Northern Mindanao (DSWD-10) temporarily for debriefing.
WCPC-MFU is also looking into whether or not the suspects have other companions.
