A man who had victimized over 100 children for online sexual exploitation had been convicted by a Nueva Vizcaya court and sentenced to at least 60 years in jail, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) said.
In a statement, the IACAT said that Nueva Vizcaya Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 37 issued the March 5, 2025 decision that convicted Teddy Jay Mejia of violations of Republic Act (RA) No. 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Act, as amended by RA 11862, the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022; and RA 11930, the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act.
A copy of the decision was not given by the IACAT. However, it said that "Mejia was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment and fined ₱1,000,000 for each of the three counts of violations of R.A. No. 11862 or the Anti-TIP Act.”
“Additionally, the court imposed reclusion temporal (12 to 20 years) and a fine of ₱300,000 for each of the four counts of violations of R.A. No. 11930,” the IACAT said.
Mejia was deported to the Philippines in 2024 from the United Arab Emirates based on a red notice issued by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol).
The IACAT said that the charges against Mejia stemmed from the investigation conducted by the Regional Anti-Child Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking Task Force II (RACETTF II), Women and Children Protection Center Luzon Field Unit (WCPC-LFU), and the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit 02 (RACU 02) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“In 2023, these agencies responded to reports of exploitative materials involving minors being sold online,” it said.
“After further verification, it led to an investigation and eventually, the rescue of trafficking victims,” it added.
It noted that during the investigation, it was discovered that “Mejia had exploited over 100 minors, selling explicit photos and videos on Telegram and collecting payments through online wallets like GCash.”
The investigation "also exposed how the trafficker had hidden his empire of online exploitation schemes through blackmailing the victims by leaking their sexual materials if they refused to obey him.”
“There is no place in our society for those who exploit and abuse our children,” declared Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Felix L. Ty, the Department of Justice (DOJ) official in charge of IACAT.
"This victory is the result of the blood and sweat of our law enforcement officers and prosecutors,” Ty said.
He pointed out that "it is our duty to fight for the rights of every young victim and ensure they are given a new chance at life.”