• The Philippine Police warn of rising cases of online child selling
• Mother attempts to sell her infant for 50,000 pesos (about 900 dollars)

The Philippine National Police expressed concern over the increasing number of cases last year of individuals caught attempting to sell their children online, after earlier this week they arrested a mother who tried to sell her one-month-old baby for 50,000 pesos (about 900 US dollars).

Brig. Gen. Maria Sheila Portento, chief of the PNP Women and Children’s Protection Center, told reporters at Camp Crame that eight people were apprehended in 2025 for trying to sell their children online, compared to five in 2024.

She added, "It seems to have spread rapidly due to the easy access to online platforms; you can sell almost anything, and this is very alarming."

Portento explained that they monitor numerous websites and closely cooperate with social media platforms to remove any posts offering children for sale.

She noted that the most common reason among those arrested was financial inability to care for the child, emphasizing that it would be better to place the children for adoption through the National Authority for Child Care rather than profit from them.

She cited the case of a 17-year-old girl arrested in Quezon City after police found her social media post offering her one-month-old baby for sale for 50,000 pesos (about 900 US dollars).

Portento said investigations revealed that the mother intended to use the money for her university tuition and had been in contact with a person in Japan sending funds to buy the child.

The mother and her infant were taken into custody and turned over to the Quezon City social services department.

Regarding the minor’s legal responsibility, Portento explained that the Philippine Juvenile Justice Law exempts children aged 15–18 unless they acted with full awareness, and a social worker’s assessment confirmed the accused was aware of the seriousness of her actions and had planned them.

The mother may face charges under anti-human trafficking and child protection laws, as well as the Cybercrime Prevention Act for using social media to sell the child.

The police are also investigating the possible involvement of the child’s father, who is also a minor.

Last July, the Philippine Commission on Human Rights urged the government to strengthen oversight of online platforms, increase investigative and prosecutorial capacity, and ensure the swift prosecution of anyone selling children, stressing that “no child should ever be bought, sold, or treated as a commodity.”