AUTHORITIES have rescued 17 potential victims of human trafficking in the Mapun, an island town in Tawi-Tawi that is very close to Malaysia, the police said Saturday, August 16, 2025.
The Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG) said the 17 all-male individuals were rescued in a joint operation launched by government authorities around 11 p.m. Thursday, August 14, at the port of Mapun.
The PNP-MG said the rescued individuals are all residents of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, who boarded a passenger boat in Zamboanga City and traveled to Mapun, Tawi-Tawi.
Profiling and verification conducted revealed that the group was headed to Sabah, Malaysia using a backdoor channel, without any legal work or travel documents.
When interviewed by Sheba Jamaluddin, head social worker of the Ministry of Social Services and Development (MSSD) in Mapun, the victims admitted that they were offered construction jobs in Malaysia by a recruiter known only by the alias “Pa Usman,” who is currently in Malaysia.
The rescued victims were turned over to the MSSD Mapun for appropriate psycho-social support and repatriation assistance.
Investigations are ongoing to identify and apprehend those behind the illegal recruitment scheme,” the PNP-MG said in a statement.
The potential human trafficking victims were rescued by joint operatives of the 1st Special Operation Unit-Special Boat Crew of the PNP-MG and Mapun policemen. (SunStar Zamboanga)