National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 and NBI-Cebu District Office arrested Mayeth Tacocong Gatchalian in a hot-pursuit operation at a private subdivision in Compostela, Cebu, at approximately 8:30 p.m. on August 27, 2026.
The arrest followed the deferred departure of three suspected trafficking victims on August 26, who stated that Gatchalian facilitated their planned journey from Cebu to Hong Kong and subsequently to Armenia to work as housekeepers.
NBI filed criminal complaints against Gatchalian on September 1 before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Mandaue City for qualified trafficking in persons and large-scale illegal recruitment.
AUTHORITIES from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 have arrested a woman in Cebu who is facing complaints for alleged qualified trafficking in persons and large-scale illegal recruitment.
The NBI-Cebu District Office, together with NBI 7, arrested Mayeth Tacocong Gatchalian in a hot-pursuit operation at a private subdivision in Compostela, Cebu, around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 27, 2026.
The arrest stemmed from the deferred departure of three suspected trafficking victims who were reportedly preparing to leave Cebu for Hong Kong on Aug. 26, according to a press statement from the NBI-Cebu District Office.
An initial investigation conducted by authorities, including the Bureau of Immigration and the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking Task Force at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, found that the three individuals were allegedly being recruited to work as housekeepers in Armenia.
The three possible victims reportedly told authorities that Gatchalian had facilitated their planned journey from Cebu to Hong Kong and eventually to Armenia.
Acting on information about Gatchalian’s whereabouts, investigators from NBI 7 and its satellite office conducted a hot-pursuit operation that led to her arrest the following day.
Gatchalian was subsequently brought to the NBI office for booking and documentation.
The NBI said it filed criminal complaints against Gatchalian on Sept. 1 before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Mandaue City.
She is facing a complaint for qualified trafficking in persons under Section 4(a) of Republic Act 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, as amended, in relation to Section 6(c), as well as large-scale illegal recruitment under Section 5 of Republic Act 10022.
The allegations against Gatchalian remain subject to the prosecutor’s evaluation. / DPC