Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian convened a meeting on Thursday, June 13, at the Central Office in Quezon City with representatives of Meta Philippines, the parent company of Facebook, to address the alarming proliferation of social media accounts being exploited for online baby selling under the guise of adoption.

The meeting was initiated following a letter from the DSWD’s Office of the Secretary to Meta Philippines, which highlighted the concerning trend of Facebook accounts being utilized for the online selling of babies.

“We have created a working relationship with Meta whether to report to them directly or through reporting channels to create a more robust mechanism. And to also work with them on developing a campaign against human trafficking,” Gatchalian said.

Joining Gatchalian in the meeting were DSWD Undersecretary for International Affairs, Attached and Supervised Agencies Emmeline Aglipay Villar, DSWD Assistant Secretary Elaine Fallacurna, and DSWD Undersecretary and National Advisory Council for Children (NACC) Executive Director Janella Estrada.

“We have to treat this online illegal adoption with the same severity on how Meta takes immediate action on the violations of the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children Law,” Gatchalian told the Meta representatives.

During the meeting at the DSWD chief’s office, Estrada informed Meta that 16 out of the 23 reported Facebook pages had already been removed.

However, she raised concerns over the continuous creation of new accounts by those involved in the online sale of infants.

In response, Estrada urged Meta Philippines Director for Public Policy Clare Amador for the immediate removal of Facebook pages that blatantly engage in the illegal sale of babies online.

Gatchalian directed Estrada to create a team within NACC to monitor such pages and collaborate with Meta to develop a more robust mechanism aimed at combating this form of human trafficking.