CITY OF SAN JOSE DEL MONTE–The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) busted a human trafficking and organ-selling syndicate operating in the City of San Jose del Monte after three suspects were arrested and charged following a recent raid.
The NBI filed on Tuesday, July 16, charges of qualified trafficking in persons against Allan Ligaya, a staff nurse in National Kidney Transplant Institute and Angela Atayde, Marichu Lomibao and Daniel Sicat before the Prosecutor’s Office of San Jose del Monte.
They were all arrested in a July 11 raid conducted by the NBI in a safehouse in Barangay Tungkong Mangga where they have been keeping their nine victims. Ligaya, however, is at large.
John Russell Sabado, Senior Investigation Agent of the NBI who leads the case, said the suspects who are renting a house in City of San Jose del Monte maintain the safehouse where the nine rescued victims were kept.
Authorities however, would not disclose the addresses of the nine victims.
But, Rowena Gugulan, City of San Jose del Monte social welfare and development officer said none of the nine victims was a resident of San Jose del Monte. The rescued victims were brought to the city social welfare and development office following their rescue.
Gugulan said all the nine individuals who were recruited were allured to become organ sellers in exchange for P200,000.
Accordingly, Gugulan said, the NBI has placed the safehouse in two months’ surveillance.
Two of the victims had already undergone kidney removal on July 5 and 7 in an undisclosed place in Metro Manila and they were brought back to the safehouse on July 10.
The operation on the third victim was not pursued due to a mismatch with the organ recipient, Gugulan said.
Also, it was known that all the nine victims, 7 males and 2 females, ages 21-28 have started being recruited through social media online communication since November 2023.
“Hindi sagot ang pagbebenta ng organs ng ating katawan para sa ating kahirapan, maraming ahensya ng gobyerno ang handang tumulong sa ating pangangailangan,” (Selling our internal organs is not the answer to our dire situation in life, there are many agencies in our government that are ready to help us), the city social welfare officer reminded the public.
