AUTHORITIES have rescued another group of potential victims of human trafficking in the province of Tawi-Tawi, the police said Sunday, April 28, 2024.
Police Brigadier General Prexy Tanggawohn, Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) director, said the group of potential victims, consisting of 14 persons, was rescued at the port of Bongao, the capital town of Tawi-Tawi province on Friday, April 26, 2024.
Tanggawohn said the potential human trafficking victims were rescued when authorities verified information that a group of persons was traveling to Malaysia via “backdoor channel” aboard a commercial ferry from Zamboanga City bound for Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.
“These individuals were heading to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and upon inquiry, they were unable to produce any legal documents,” Tanggawohn said.
He said they were taken to the office of Bongao Local Committee on Anti-Trafficking, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Development Office for appropriate handling.
He said the Tawi-Tawi Police Provincial Office and other concerned government agencies are currently working on ensuring their safe return to their families and places of origin.
The potential human trafficking victims were rescued by a joint team of policemen, coast guard, Municipal Inter-Agency Committee Against Trafficking, and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency personnel.
Tanggawohn commended the effective response of the joint team that led to the successful rescue of the potential trafficking victims.
“As law enforcement officers, it is our solemn duty to combat the heinous crime of human trafficking. Every individual deserves to live free from the horrors of exploitation and abuse,” he said.
The rescue of the 14 on Friday, April 26, was the third group of potential victims of human trafficking rescued at the port of Bongao in Tawi-Tawi the past week.
The first group, consisting of 13 potential human trafficking victims, was rescued on April 19, and the second group, comprising seven persons, was rescued on April 23.
Like the third group of potential victims, the other two groups were rescued after authorities received information that a group of persons was traveling to Sabah, Malaysia via Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. (SunStar Zamboanga)