“Human trafficker” nabbed

CEBU, Philippines — A woman accused of recruiting three women for housekeeping jobs in Armenia was arrested after the three alleged victims were intercepted while attempting to leave the country through the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

National Bureau of Investigation-Cebu District Office (NBI-CEBDO) chief Arnel Pura identified the suspect as Mayeth Tacocong Gatchalian, who was arrested in Richwood Subdivision in Compostela town, Cebu, on August 27.

Pura said the three women, all aged 20 to 30, were supposed to fly to Hong Kong on August 26, 2026, before eventually proceeding to Armenia, where they were allegedly offered jobs as housekeepers with a promised monthly salary of P37,000.

The three were intercepted by Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel during their departure at the airport after they were identified as possible victims of human trafficking. They were later referred to the NBI for further investigation.

Pura said the investigation showed that Gatchalian allegedly recruited the three women and facilitated their travel arrangements.

“This is against the law. This is a serious crime, a serious offense, involving large illegal recruitment and qualified human trafficking,” Pura said.

According to Pura, Gatchalian allegedly arranged the women's tickets, hotel accommodations, and itinerary in Hong Kong, where they were supposedly going to pose as tourists before proceeding to Armenia.

“They will pretend as tourist. That's why ang ticket is actually back-and-forth na with hotel accommodations, with itinerary. But in reality, wala 'yan, it's all just a pretext,” Pura said.

The NBI said the three women had complete round-trip tickets and an itinerary indicating that they would travel to Hong Kong as tourists.

Pura said Gatchalian allegedly recruited the women through direct hiring and offered them employment in Armenia in exchange for a fee.

He added that Gatchalian had previously worked as a contract worker in Armenia, although the NBI has yet to determine how long she had allegedly been involved in recruitment activities.

The NBI-CEBDO and NBI-Central Visayas Regional Office conducted a hot pursuit operation after authorities obtained information on Gatchalian's whereabouts.

She was arrested at around 8:30 p.m. on August 27 and brought to the NBI office for booking, fingerprinting, and photographing.

On September 1, 2026, charges for qualified trafficking in persons under Section 4(a) of Republic Act 9208, or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003, as amended, in relation to Section 6(c), and illegal recruitment committed on a large scale under Section 5 of Republic Act 10022 were filed against Gatchalian before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Mandaue City.

The case underwent inquest proceedings.

Gatchalian remains detained at the NBI-CEBDO while awaiting the resolution of the preliminary investigation.

When asked for her side, Gatchalian refused to give a statement to the media while in NBI custody.

Meanwhile, the three alleged victims, who are all women aged 20 to 30, were not identified by authorities. — (FREEMAN)