Operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation-National Capital Region (NBI-NCR) raided a house in an exclusive subdivision in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan, following a tip-off from a victim. The victim reported that the house was being used to shelter kidney donors being recruited for a payment of P200,000.
According to an ABS-CBN News report citing the NBI, the house served as a residence for the donors before and after their surgeries. During the raid, three caretakers responsible for looking after the victims were arrested, and nine individuals were rescued. Among those rescued, four had already undergone surgery, while five were awaiting their operations.
NBI agents also intercepted money intended for a victim whose kidney had just been harvested. “When our people were there, the suspects arrived and handed over the remaining P150,000 to a victim who had just undergone surgery,” said Rommel Vallejo, chief of NBI-NCR.
One victim showed the NBI the surgical scar from their recent kidney harvest. The investigation began when several victims complained about not receiving full payment. “They told us it was okay to lose a kidney, but we didn’t receive the full payment. They only gave us P2,000,” said one victim.
Two of the suspects admitted that they were also former victims who had sold their kidneys. They were allegedly recruited by a nurse from the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) to assist in the illegal activities. “We were told it was legal, so we believed it was, until we found out later that it was illegal,” said Mich, one of the suspects.
Mich revealed that during their year-long involvement, around 20 individuals sold their kidneys. Recruitment was done via social media, targeting donors based on the blood type required by the recipients. “A politician’s child was one of the recipients. The donor and recipient underwent surgery simultaneously, but the donor’s kidney was harvested first,” Mich added.
The actual harvests were conducted in various facilities, with some doctors and hospitals now under investigation. However, preparation and recovery of the victims took place in the raided house. “They stayed there for 3-4 months, including the procedure and recovery,” said John Russel Sabado, NBI-NCR agent on the case.
NBI Director Jaime Santiago clarified that the law targets the syndicates exploiting and recruiting individuals for organ trade, not the recipients of the kidneys. “The law punishes those who exploit people’s poverty for profit. Recruitment for organ selling is illegal,” Santiago stated.
The NKTI is currently investigating the case and plans to issue a statement on their social media account. The nurse identified in the operation was not among those arrested but has been charged along with the three suspects under the Expanded Human Trafficking Act.