Human trafficking victims rescued in Cotabato

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Thirteen women who were promised employment with high salary abroad were rescued in a raid on a house in Barangay Mother Bagua in this city on Tuesday.

One of their two recruiters, Maalidin Salasal, was arrested in the operation conducted by the local police and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). Another suspect, Aisha Albalawi, managed to escape.

The victims are undergoing tactical debriefing at the CIDG-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR) office.

Brig. Gen. Eden Ugale, BAR police director, said the victims are from Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga City.