The Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center is weighing possible criminal cases against the management of social media platforms as authorities report a sharp rise in online baby-selling incidents.
Speaking at a press briefing at Camp Crame, WCPC chief Brig. Gen. Maria Sheila Portento said the unit has recorded an “alarming” increase in cases linked to transactions arranged through social media, with six babies rescued in just the first five weeks of 2026.
The figure already matches the total number of babies rescued in the whole of 2024 and is nearing the nine rescues recorded in 2025. Portento said the pace of cases this year raised serious concerns about how easily illegal transactions involving infants are being facilitated online.
Asked whether social media companies could be held accountable for the spread of baby-selling operations on their platforms, Portento said authorities are exploring legal options. “We are looking into the possibility of how we can also run after them,” she said.
“Our legal officers are studying how to navigate the legal means to make these sites accountable as well,” she added.
Recent arrests underscore the scale of the problem. Police detained a mother in Pampanga for allegedly selling her two-day-old baby boy for P30,000. In a separate operation in Bulacan, another mother, along with a grandmother and an aunt, was arrested for the supposed sale of a three-month-old baby girl for P130,000.
Data released by the WCPC show that seven individuals were arrested for baby-selling in 2024, followed by 14 in 2025. Nine suspects have already been arrested in 2026, barely a month into the year.
Despite the growing number of cases and arrests, convictions remain rare. Out of 19 baby-selling cases recorded from 2024 to 2026, only one case from 2024 has resulted in a conviction so far, according to Portento.
Police said investigations are ongoing and warned that enforcement efforts will intensify as authorities move to disrupt online networks involved in the illegal trade of infants.
