Joint operatives of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Philippine National Police (PNP) rescued two female victims of human trafficking during an operation in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.
The victims, aged 30 and 26, were intercepted while they were boarding a passenger vessel in the coastal territory of Bongao, according to the Coast Guard Sea Marshal Force.
An initial report from the PNP-Bongao Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) help desk said the two intercepted travelers were from Valenzuela and Cavite.
During the investigation, the victims confessed to being offered a domestic job in Sabah, Malaysia.
They were told to travel in Tawi-Tawi as their backdoor channel to reach their destination.
The PCG, however, did not allow them to travel and the Ministry of Social Services Development sent them back to their families.