THE national government, through concerned offices and agencies, has intensified its nationwide campaign against baby selling and other forms of child trafficking.
The sale of a child constitutes child trafficking, which is prohibited under Republic Act (RA) No. 9208, otherwise known as the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, as amended by RA 1186.
The offense carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine ranging from P1 million to P2 million, according to the CWC.
In a press statement, CWC Executive Director Undersecretary Angelo Tapales condemned any form of child selling and exploitation.
“There is no place in our society for the selling of children and any form of child trafficking,” he said, adding “every child has the right to protection, care and safe environment.”
Involved in the campaign are the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), the National Authority for Child Care (NACC), and the Philippine National Police-Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC).
Operatives of the PNP-WCPC showed their determination to hit hard at child traffickers when they conducted separate entrapment and rescue operations in Pampanga and Bulacan.
Conducted on February 4, the operations resulted in the rescue of two infants and the arrest of four suspects. The suspects reportedly tried to sell the infants for P30,000 and P130,000.
But for the anti-child trafficking campaign to succeed, the public is duty bound to report incidents of child abuse or violence through 24/7 MAKABATA Helpline 1383.
This will be good for the country and the Filipino people, particularly our children.
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