The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced Friday, Sept. 16, the arrest of two suspects who allegedly livestreamed and sold sex videos featuring minors, including their own children, to foreigners from the United States, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Australia.

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Santos, PNP deputy chief for operations, said the suspects were arrested by elements of the Women and Children’s Protection Center (PNP-WCPC), in simultaneous entrapment operations in Muzon, Bulacan and Dagami, Leyte around 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15.

The suspects’ identities were withheld by the PNP-WCPC because some of the victims might be identified since they were their own children. The suspects were only described as a 27-year-old mom from Dagami, Leyte and a 30-year-old mom from Muzon, Bulacan, who are friends and had been in the illegal industry for not less than five years.

The PNP-WCPC also rescued 12 minors in the said operations, including the two children of the Leyte-based suspect and five from the Bulacan-based suspect.

Santos said the case started when the PNP-WCPC received a request from the US Homeland Security Investigation-Manila back in June to locate two Filipinos whom they were investigating for alleged sale and distribution of “disturbing” child sexual abuse and exploitation materials online.

Santos said the PNP-WCPC realized the seriousness of the case when it received similar requests from the German Police, Nordic Liaison Office for Norway and Sweden, and Australian Federal Police.

“In Europe, talagang kalat na kalat ‘yong materials (the materials are really widespread). Sa US mayroon din at sa Australia (It also spread to US and Australia). This is a worldwide crime,” Santos told reporters in a briefing at the PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

The PNP-WCPC eventually managed to find the location of the suspects after three months of case surveillance, resulting in their arrest.

Brig. Gen. Arcadio Jamora Jr., director of PNP-WCPC, said the suspects have connections abroad who paid them $50 to $100 (P2,500 to P5,000) per livestream. The suspects were using various social media platforms such as Facebook, Skype, and e-mails among others, and some of the videos were sold to other clients in the “dark web.”

“We have thousands of unvalidated referrals as to how many people are acting as Filipino facilitators in this industry. It’s sad to say that some of them are related to the victims: aunties, friends, or even parents,” Jamora said.

Since the government declared an “all-out war” against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) last Aug. 23, the PNP-WCPC said it has arrested four suspects and rescued 27 minors nationwide.