10 human trafficking victims rescued by NBI

OPERATIVES of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) rescued 10 human trafficking victims — nine of them minors — during a raid on a fish pen operation in Sual, Pangasinan.

The rescue operation resulted in the arrest of five people, including two Chinese and three Filipinos, for alleged violations of anti-trafficking, labor, environmental and economic sabotage laws.

The operation was carried out on May 1 by agents from the NBI Cybercrime Division (NBI-CCD) and the NBI Special Task Force (NBI-STF), with support from the NBI Anti-Human Trafficking Division (NBI-ALDO) and local social welfare officers.

The effort followed intelligence reports implicating a Chinese national — identified as Hou Shilian — as allegedly operating a compound in Barangay (village) Baquioen that employed underage workers and harbored undocumented foreigners.

Arrested during the raid were Zhonggang Qui and Wenwen Qui, as well as Filipinos Angielyn Ramirez, Marichelle Ambrosio and Jay Amor.

They were brought for inquest proceedings and face multiple charges, including qualified trafficking under Republic Act 9208, as amended by RA 10364 and 11862; violations of RA 9231 on child labor; RA 8550, the Philippine Fisheries Code; and RA 12022 on economic sabotage.

According to investigators, several victims were trafficked from Northern Samar and forced to work under exploitative and dangerous conditions, including debt bondage and threats involving firearms.

Some minors reported being made to haul fish feed and tend offshore fish cages in the Lingayen Gulf.

Agents said the Chinese suspects directly supervised operations and were aware that minors were employed.

Two of the rescued minors were found to be pregnant, with their alleged partners ages 23 and 22, raising potential charges under statutory rape laws.

The NBI also flagged the fish pen operations as environmentally hazardous and noted they were primarily owned and controlled by foreigners — an issue that could prompt further legal scrutiny.

The rescued victims are now under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and are receiving medical and psychological support.