Ang Pahayagan

TARLAC– The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested two women in Concepcion, Tarlac for child exploitation and successfully rescued ten (10) minors during a coordinated operation.

According to NBI Director Judge Jaime B. Santiago (Ret.), the case stemmed from the arrest of Swedish national and alleged child-sexual offender Heinz Henry Andreas Berglund on April 2, 2025, by the NBI–Violence Against Women and Children Division (VAWCD) and the Bureau of Immigration – Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU).

A separate investigation was launched by the NBI following a referral from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Manila concerning a Filipina facilitator allegedly involved in the production and sale of live-streamed webcam shows depicting the sexual abuse of children for paying customers worldwide.

The investigation revealed that the facilitator, together with her adult sister, was continuously engaged in the sale and distribution of sexually explicit images, videos, and live streaming shows featuring their underage sisters. Further confirmation came when the Nordic Liaison Office (NLO) in Manila provided information linking Berglund to the same Filipina subject under investigation.

Acting on the information, the NBI secured two Warrant to Search, Seize and Examine Computer Data (WSSECD) for separate residences in Concepcion, Tarlac, identified as the homes of both the subjects and the alleged victims. Thereafter, an entrapment and rescue operation was immediately planned.

On June 10, 2025, a joint enforcement team composed of agents and personnel from the NBI-VAWCD, NBI Tarlac District Office, NBI Digital Forensic Laboratory Division, NBI Photographers, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) personnel, Department of Justice – Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT), Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) Social Workers, foreign media, and Destiny Rescue Philippines (NGO), proceeded to Concepcion, Tarlac to conduct an entrapment and rescue operation and to implement the search warrant.

The team simultaneously proceeded to the two identified residences. The operation resulted in the arrest of the two adult female subjects on charges related to the entrapment and possession of prohibited materials in violation of Republic Act No. 11930 (Anti OSAEC and CSAEMs Act), Republic Act No. 9208 as amended by Republic Act No. 11862 (Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act), and Republic Act No. 7610 (Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination).

Additionally, ten minors, who were relatives of the subjects and victims of exploitation, were successfully rescued and immediately removed from the harmful environment to ensure their protection and welfare.