MONEY WOES CITED FOR RISE IN ONLINE 'SALE' OF BABIES

FINANCIAL hardship is emerging as the most common reason parents resort to selling their children online, as authorities flag a steady rise in cases involving babies traded through social media.

- JUSTINE XYRAH GARCIA

A quick search of Facebook groups shows infants in the Philippines being offered in exchange for cash ranging from P8,000 to as much as P130,000.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development's National Authority for Child Care (NACC) said these online transactions have prompted a series of entrapment operations since 2024.

Based on its data, seven anti-online baby selling entrapment operations were conducted in the first three months of 2026 alone—nearly matching the eight operations in the whole of 2025 and exceeding the five recorded in 2024.

At least 22 minors, some as young as two months old, have been rescued, while more than 33 individuals—mostly biological mothers—have been arrested.