Authorities rescued three minor girls and arrested an American national during a joint operation in Naic, Cavite, over allegations of kidnapping, rape, child abuse, and illegal detention, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said.
The rescue operation was conducted on May 6 by the CIDG Cavite Provincial Field Unit, the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) of Naic, and the Naic Municipal Police Station inside a compound converted into a mosque in Barangay Sabang.
Police identified the suspect only as “Ameer,” a 41-year-old American citizen and alleged leader of the Dar Al-Arqam Islamic Community (DAIC) in the area.
According to investigators, the suspect allegedly kept the minors under his custody for nearly a year and prevented them from returning to their mother. Authorities also said the girls reported experiencing sexual abuse while staying inside the compound.
The case reportedly began after the children’s mother, an overseas Filipino worker in Saudi Arabia, sought help from the suspect in 2025 after learning that her daughters had allegedly been abused by her live-in partner in their home in Cavite.
Police said the suspect took custody of the four girls and brought them to the compound, where they stayed alongside other children. Criminal complaints were later filed against the girls’ stepfather, who allegedly fled the area afterward.
Authorities said the mother repeatedly asked for her daughters to be returned, but the suspect allegedly refused.
The alleged abuse came to light after two of the girls, aged 17 and 12, managed to escape from the compound on May 1 and informed their mother about their ordeal. The siblings also alleged that two of their sisters and another teenage girl had likewise suffered abuse.
The mother then sought assistance from the CIDG Women and Children Complaints Unit, leading to the rescue operation and arrest of the suspect.
CIDG director Police Major General Robert Morico II said the operation highlights the government’s commitment to protecting children from abuse, exploitation, and violence.
Authorities said the rescued minors are now under the care of social welfare workers while criminal charges are being prepared against the suspect.