February 10, 2026
MANILA – The Philippine National Police Women and Children’s Protection Center (PNP WCPC) said it was considering filing cases against the management of social media sites amid the rise in online baby-selling.
In a press briefing in Camp Crame on Monday, WCPC Chief Brig. Gen. Maria Sheila Portento flagged an “alarming” increase in cases of baby-selling on social media after their operatives rescued six babies in only the first five weeks of 2026.
For comparison, the WCPC rescued six babies from being sold in 2024, and nine in 2025.
Asked whether the management of social media sites are also liable for the proliferation of cases, Portento said, “We are looking into the possibility of how we can also run after them.”
READ: 4 nabbed for selling 2 babies in Pampanga, Bulacan — PNP
“Our legal officers are studying how to navigate the legal means to make these sites accountable as well,” she noted.
This came after a mother was arrested for allegedly selling her two-day-old baby boy in Pampanga for P30,000; and another mother, a grandmother, and an aunt were arrested for supposedly selling a three-month-old baby girl in Bulacan for P130,000 last Wednesday.
Portento shared that seven individuals were arrested for allegedly selling their babies in 2024; 14 in 2025; and nine in 2026 so far.
Out of the 19 baby-selling cases from 2024 to 2026, only one case in 2024 secured a conviction so far, she added. /apl