Sixteen children in Taguig and Nueva Vizcaya were rescued by the Philippine National Police (PNP) after Australian Federal Police (AFP) shared information about an Australian man’s alleged intention to abuse them, the AFP said.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Australian police force said that Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at Sydney Airport inspected the man’s baggage upon his arrival from the Philippines in January and allegedly found child abuse material on his phone, including messages that supposedly indicated his intention to pay a person in the Philippines to allow him to sexually abuse the children.
The border officials notified the Australian police, which began investigating the 56-year-old and then charged him with three offenses, including possessing child abuse material obtained or accessed using a carriage service; and grooming a person to make it easier to engage in sexual activity with a child outside of Australia.
The AFP shared the intelligence with the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center (PICACC), a group established by the PNP and UK and Australian law enforcement agencies in 2019.
The PNP last week then “executed multiple warrants at four locations in Taguig and Nueva Vizcaya, where the 16 children were found,” the AFP said.
The operations were conducted on June 22 and 23, with the youngest victim only 10 years old, according to the statement.
“This is a record number of children rescued in a single operation and we are grateful to be able to support the efforts of the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center to remove these children from harm,” the statement quoted AFP Senior Officer in Manila, Detective Superintendent Andrew Perkins as saying.
The children are now in the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. — BM, GMA Integrated News
