The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) assisted in rescuing 19 individuals who were alleged trafficking in person (TIP) victims on board a passenger / RoRo vessel at the Port of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, on 11 October 2024.

The PCG Sea Marshals on duty were conducting roving inspection and noticed a group of passengers talking about their intentions to travel to Malaysia.

The Coast Guard personnel coordinated with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Police Station and performed a comprehensive scanning of passengers.

The alleged TIP victims were escorted to the PNP Maritime Police Station for further investigation.

The Municipal Inter-Agency Committee Against Trafficking (MIACAT) also conducted profiling and during the interview, the victims confessed their intention to travel to Sabah, Malaysia, via illegal backdoor route to work without proper documents.

The MIACAT took charge of providing shelter for the alleged TIP victims. They also received counseling and stress debriefing.

Afterwards, they were transported to the Ministry of Social Service Development (MSSD) in Bongao Tawi-Tawi for further assistance.