Aside from sentencing Erwin Patricio Masagnay to life imprisonment for Qualified Trafficking, the Regional Trial Court Branch 163 of Taguig City also ordered him to pay a P2 million fine and P200,000 in damages, in a decision issued on May 15, 2025.

Operatives from Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATIPD) of the Philippine National Police – Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) arrested Masagnay in an entrapment operation on May 26, 2021, following an investigation triggered by a tip from the Australian Federal Police.

During the operation, the trafficker offered a 17-year-old boy for in-person sexual abuse to an undercover agent posing as a buyer. At that moment, authorities arrested the trafficker and rescued the victim.

We are grateful and relieved to secure another conviction in the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. This win will not be possible without the dedicated efforts of law enforcement authorities, social workers, prosecution teams, and all other stakeholders in the community who are not afraid to bring these crimes to light. This should serve as an example that perpetrators of this kind of crime will always be brought to justice and will bear the full consequence of their actions. May this serve as a reminder that the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation will never end until all are free, said Senior Assistant City Prosecutor David Michael Go of the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office.

Online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), including the trafficking of children for the livestreaming of child sexual abuse, remains a widespread crime in the Philippines. IJM’s Scale of Harm prevalence study estimates that nearly half a million Filipino children were victims of this crime in 2022 alone, with nearly a quarter of a million adult Filipinos perpetrating it during the same period.

The Philippine government, together with its partners, has made significant progress in combating OSAEC. However, bringing this fight to the finish line will require the support of the entire Filipino society. Community vigilance and timely reporting are essential to keeping OSAEC perpetrators away from children, deterring potential offenders, and protecting innocent lives, said Atty. Maranatha Praise Ladringan, IJM’s Senior Lead for Prosecution Development and Acting Head of Investigations and Law Enforcement Development.

Foreign law enforcement has played a key role in bringing OSAEC perpetrators to justice. In the case of Masagnay, the Australian Federal Police identified him after they arrested an Australian national who paid for sexually explicit images of Filipino minors. ATIPD investigators later confirmed that Masagnay would offer sexually explicit photos and videos of underage boys in exchange for money.

We commend foreign law enforcement partners for taking quick action in sharing information with Philippine authorities. May this also serve as a challenge for every concerned Filipino citizen to not hesitate in sharing information with our law enforcers when they know of OSAEC incidents, added Atty. Ladringan, who assisted in prosecuting Masagnay.

IJM works closely with Philippine authorities to bring perpetrators to justice and ensure survivors receive protection and support. To help strengthen the justice system’s response to OSAEC, IJM also provides training for law enforcement, prosecutors, and social workers.

In September last year, IJM and the Department of Justice - Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking launched the “Bayang Walang Bahid ng OSAEC” campaign aimed at breaking the culture of silence and encouraging communities to report child exploitation.

To report suspected online child sexual exploitation, contact the Philippine National Police – Women and Children Protection Center at 0966-725-5961 (Globe) and 0919-777-7377 (Smart).