Authorities have rescued 14 would-be victims of human trafficking on two occasions in this city and in the province of Tawi-Tawi, the Philippine Navy reported. The Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM) said five of the 14 would-be victims were rescued on board a commercial vessel at the port of Zamboanga City.
The NFWM withheld the identities of the five rescued would-be victims except to say they are from Pagadian City and Tukuran town in Zamboanga del Sur and Calumpang village, General Santos City. They were bound for Malaysia, via the province of Tawi-Tawi, without the necessary travel and working documents. Upon arrival in Tawi-Tawi, they will be escorted and assisted by unidentified persons to Malaysia. The rescued would-be human trafficking victims were brought to the Women and Children Protection Center-Mindanao Field Unit (WCPC-MFU) for profiling and documentation