MANILA — In a hard-hitting crackdown on online child predators, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested an alleged facilitator of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) in Subic, Zambales, in an operation triggered by intelligence from the United States.

The arrest was the culmination of a cross-border investigation led by the NBI–Violence Against Women and Children Division (VAWCD) following a high-level referral from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security–Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which flagged an individual in the Philippines allegedly transmitting sexually exploitative materials involving minors to contacts in the United States.

According to investigators, surveillance confirmed that the suspect was actively offering, selling, and distributing explicit materials involving children to foreign buyers in exchange for money, operating through digital platforms.

The case took a decisive turn on February 16, 2026, when NBI agents, with assistance from Destiny Rescue Philippines, rescued a minor victim who later disclosed that she had been sexually abused and exploited by the suspect.

With evidence mounting, the NBI secured a Warrant to Search, Seize, and Examine Computer Data (WSSECD) to penetrate the suspect’s digital activities.

On March 11, 2026, operatives from the NBI–Technical Intelligence Division (TID) successfully pinpointed the suspect’s exact location in Subic, Zambales.

A joint strike team composed of agents from NBI-VAWCD, the NBI-Olongapo District Office (OLDO), and the NBI-Digital Forensics Laboratory Division (DFLD) then swooped down on the suspect’s residence to serve the warrant.

During the operation, a forensic examination of the suspect’s mobile phone uncovered multiple child sexual abuse materials, strengthening the case against the arrested individual.

Authorities immediately took the suspect into custody and filed charges for violating Sections 4(c) and 4(r) of Republic Act No. 11930, the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act.

The suspect was presented for inquest proceedings before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Zambales–Olongapo.

NBI Director Atty. Melvin A. Matibag issued a strong warning to those involved in child exploitation networks.

“The arrest of this individual sends a clear message: the Philippines is not a safe haven for those who seek to profit from the exploitation of children,” Matibag declared.

The NBI chief emphasized that the bureau is intensifying its digital intelligence and international law enforcement cooperation to dismantle online abuse syndicates.

“Through our strong partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the NBI’s advanced digital forensic capabilities, we will relentlessly hunt down OSAEC facilitators wherever they hide,” Matibag said.

“Those who exploit our children and hide behind computer screens will be found, arrested, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Matibag underscored that the NBI remains committed to protecting Filipino children from online predators and dismantling transnational child exploitation networks operating in cyberspace.

“Our children are not commodities. Anyone who attempts to trade their innocence for profit will face the full force of the law,” he stressed.

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