By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.

FOILED TRAFFICKING ATTEMPT. Some of the 13 victims of attempted human trafficking undergo documentation following their rescue by authorities in Bonngao, Tawi-Tawi on Friday afternoon (Sept. 5, 2025). Two alleged human trafficking “facilitators” were arrested during the law enforcement operation. (Photo courtesy of Tawi-Tawi Maritime Police SOU 1)

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities have foiled a human trafficking attempt as they rescued 13 victims and arrested two “facilitators” in law enforcement operations in Tawi-Tawi, the police said Saturday.

Lt. Col. Jeseryl Dela Cruz, chief of the police’s 1st Special Operations Unit – Maritime Group, said the rescued victims consisted of six men and seven women, who were recruited from various parts of the country.

The victims were rescued while being transported to different areas in Bongao, the capital of Tawi-Tawi, on Friday afternoon, using tricycles and motorboats.

“The rescue was prompted by a report from the Municipal Inter-Agency Committee Against Trafficking and the National Bureau of Investigation about passengers suspected of being trafficking victims on a plane bound for Tawi-Tawi,” Dela Cruz said in his report.

He did not identify the two arrested facilitators pending further investigation. A boatman managed to escape during the rescue.

Investigation showed nine of the 13 victims were recruited to work as customer service representatives in Thailand under a foreign logistics company, and the remaining four were hired to work as entertainers in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

“All of them admitted that they did not have proper travel and work documents, making them vulnerable to human trafficking,” Dela Cruz said.

The rescued victims were turned over to the Ministry of Social Services and Development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi for proper care and disposition. (PNA)