MANILA: The Philippine National Police (PNP) arrested a provincial top-five most wanted individual on multiple human trafficking charges during an operation on Wednesday (April 1) in Barangay Telapayong, Arayat, Pampanga.
The arrest was part of a joint operation involving the Mabalacat City Police Station, the Pampanga Police Provincial Office, and the 302nd Maneuver Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 3.
The female suspect, listed among the province’s most wanted, faces six counts under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act (RA 9208) and the Cybercrime Prevention Act (RA 10175), with no bail recommended.
After the arrest, she was taken to the Mabalacat City Police Station for documentation and judicial processing.
In a statement on Thursday, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. stressed the need for continuous operations targeting perpetrators of exploitation and organized crime.
“Operations like this affirm our resolve to go after individuals who prey on the vulnerable. The PNP will not allow traffickers to evade accountability,” the PNP chief said.
“We will not let those who commit this type of crime go unpunished. There is a limit to hiding, and the day will come when they will face the law,” he added.
Nartatez urged police to sustain efforts in pursuing fugitives, stressing that each arrest helps ensure justice and safer communities.
The Philippines ranks among the leading countries of origin for trafficking victims, with 13,313 Filipinos documented out of more than 125,000 cases worldwide, according to the International Organization for Migration. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
