ORMOC CITY, Leyte – Agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) rescued five minors from online sexual exploitation and arrested one suspect in two separate operations here, the agency said.

The operations, carried out by the NBI-Human Trafficking Division (HTRAD) and the NBI-Eastern Visayas Regional Office (EVRO), stemmed from referrals by the Department of Justice–Office of Cybercrime through the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center.

The first case involved a 15-year-old girl after Facebook reported 13 instances of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials being uploaded and distributed via Messenger. Investigators traced the conversations between the victim’s mother and JP Chase, a 41-year-old man from Alabama, USA.

NBI agents conducted surveillance in Ormoc on August 26 and rescued the girl the following day. She was turned over to the city’s social welfare office for custody.

The second case began with reports from Google and Facebook about a woman allegedly producing and distributing abusive materials involving her child. Investigators found she had uploaded explicit videos on YouTube and shared them via Messenger.

On September 2, operatives from NBI-HTRAD and NBI-EVRO, backed by the DOJ, Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, Ormoc City Police, and local partners, searched the suspect’s residence. Agents seized several phones and a tablet, while one of the victims identified herself in the materials and named her parents as the perpetrators.

Four other minors—aged 3, 4, 7, and 8—were also rescued. Authorities arrested the mother during the operation, while the father remains at large.

The NBI said charges were filed under the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children Act, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and the Child Abuse Law.