CLARK FREEPORT– Fifty-one persons have been jailed without bail since last September in Central Luzon amid charges of human trafficking filed against them by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in the region.
NBI regional director Ricardo Diaz said 16 of the suspects were detained at the Angeles City District Jail, two at the Pampanga Provincial Jail, one at the Bilibid National Penitentiary, nine at the NBI detention center while the rest are at the jails in areas where they were caught.
“They will remain in jail for as long as the cases against them are in progress, because their offenses are without bail,” Diaz said.
He said that aside from the violation of RA 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, the cases against the suspects were aggravated by the commission of other crimes against related laws such as RA 9775 or the Anti- Child Pornography Act of 2009, RA 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination Act and RA 8042 or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.
Diaz explained that trafficking includes sexual exploitation, prostitution, forced labor, slavery, servitude or the removal or sale of body organs.
Any person found guilty of qualified trafficking shall suffer the penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of not less than P2 million but not more than P5 million, he added.
