THE Department of Justice on Monday said it had filed charges against a woman who tried to sell her newborn baby online and the woman who helped her do it in a first move against a thriving black market on social media.Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said qualified trafficking and child exploitation charges were filed against Ma. Chariza Rivera Dizon, the baby's mother, and her companion, Arjay Escalona Malabanan, before a Manila regional trial court.
'Evidence adduced sufficiently established the crime of qualified trafficking: respondents facilitated the adoption of the newborn baby; facilitation of the adoption was for a consideration of P90,000; purpose was to facilitate illegal adoption; the trafficked victim is a child; and the act of trafficking was committed by or through the use of ICT or any computer system, the transaction having been done through Facebook Messenger platform,' the DoJ said.