MANILA (UPDATE) - A woman working to end child trafficking was arrested by the police in Bulacan on Sunday.
The Philippine National Police confirmed it arrested Maria Salome Crisostomo-Ujano, the national coordinator of Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT).
According to Police Lt. Col. Christopher Leaño, Malolos City Police chief, authorities served the arrest warrant on Crisostomo-Ujano in her house in Barangay Mabolo.
Police refused to provide more details about Crisostomo-Ujano's arrest, but according to the police report, the warrant of arrest was for rebellion. It was issued by Hon. Virgilio Alfajora of Lucena City Regional Trial Court Branch 59 on June 28, 2006.
In a statement, Central Luzon Police called Crisostomo-Ujano one of the country's top most wanted persons "who had been in hiding for 15 years."
Leaño said Crisostomo-Ujano is now detained at Camp Crame.
PACT decried Crisostomo-Ujano's arrest, calling the rebellion charges "trumped up" and "ridiculous".
"Sally has been the coordinator of the Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT) since 2008, and before that, was the Executive Director of the Women's Crisis Center (WCC) where she worked from 1990 to 2007," it said in a statement.
"The police presented a warrant of arrest dating as far back as 2006, which was 'revived' in 2019. Sally has always been in the public eye for her work on protecting children and women from human trafficking and domestic violence for the last three decades, and these trumped up charges are ridiculous!" it added.
According to its website, PACT is a network of child rights advocates "committed to building communities that protect children against trafficking." The organization was formed in 2002.
- report from Anjo Bagaoisan, ABS-CBN News
PNP, Philippine National Police, Maria Salome Crisostomo-Ujano, Sally Crisostomo, PACT, Philippines Against Child Trafficking