Surigao del sur: Police rescued four minor victims of online sexual exploitation during an operation in Bayabas, Surigao del Sur, authorities said Thursday. In a report emailed to the Philippine News Agency, the Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) said the Tuesday evening operation led to the arrest of suspect Leonila Talikig Trangia.

According to Philippines News Agency, the operation was launched following a referral from the Philippine Internet Crimes against Children Center, a case referred by the United Kingdom-National Crime Agency. The rescued victims include one female minor and three children at risk, one of whom is an eight-month-old male infant. Police said the suspect allegedly used children to perform or participate in whatever way in the creation or production, selling, and/or distributing Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) online.

Brig. Gen. Maria Sheila Portento, the acting chief of PNP-WCPC, recognized the efforts of the supporting units in the successful operation. The WCPC-Mindanao Field Unit will persist in pursuing those who exploit the vulnerable through online platforms. Protecting children and victims of exploitation remains our top priority, the PNP-WCPC said in its statement.

The victims are now under the protective custody of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office in Bayabas for assessment and intervention. Trangia faces charges under the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children Act, which carries penalties of up to life imprisonment.