Online baby selling resurges despite tighter laws

However, the number has since tripled to 12 groups, with operators repeatedly renaming and recreating pages to escape law enforcement scrutiny.

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The NACC stressed that the passage of RA 11642 was intended to make legal adoption faster and more accessible. Since the transfer of adoption oversight from the DSWD to the NACC, 634 certifications have been issued declaring children legally available for adoption, including 68 cases in Central Visayas.

"There is no reason to resort to illegal adoption. All government programs and services on adoption and alternative child care have been made simpler, faster, and less costly because the NACC does not collect any fees in relation to adoption and foster care," said NACC Undersecretary Janella Ejercito Estrada.

Online baby selling typically involves individuals or groups who offer infants for sale or "informal adoption" through secretive Facebook groups.

These posts often include photos and basic information about the child, with further negotiations moving to private messaging platforms where illegal transactions occur. Middlemen sometimes act as brokers, complicating efforts to trace the original sellers.