DOJ joins OP vs sale of babies on socmed

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice (DOJ) is coordinating with the Office of the President to put an end to the illegal selling of babies on social media.

“We are in talks now with the Office of the President because it is the President himself who wants to intervene in this problem,” DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano said in an interview with Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

“He (the President) believes that the Philippines will not progress if problems like this exist,” he added.

Authorities earlier arrested two individuals for selling a newborn baby for P90,000 in Dasmariñas City, Cavite on May 15.

The arrest stemmed from information from the National Authority for Child Care about a “black market” on social media where people allegedly seek to illegally adopt children.

The DOJ Cybercrime Division is in constant communication with Meta, the company handling Facebook, to dismantle the illegal sale of babies online, Clavano said.

He reported that the agency has taken down over 500 Facebook accounts allegedly involved in the illegal sale of babies.

“We have deactivated multiple accounts. It would probably not go below 500 accounts because we receive reports almost every day,” Clavano said.

“But we think these are not enough. It is still quite prevalent. There are still many accounts that need to be closed,” he added.

The DOJ official also reminded that potential buyers of babies illegally sold online would also be held liable.

“They should be aware that what they are doing is illegal. In that way, they are also liable for qualified trafficking in persons,” Clavano added.

He urged the public to immediately report to authorities social media accounts engaged in illegally selling babies online.

He also enjoined Meta to create more programs or mechanisms to protect children online.