Executive Summary
- Informants for the US-funded charity Destiny Rescue are accused of sexually abusing minors during a 2021 operation in the Philippines.
- Victims alleged the informants paid them for sex weeks before participating in the raid intended to rescue them.
- The organization acknowledged a “breach in rescue protocol” in confidential correspondence with Philippine police.
- A Department of Justice prosecutor found probable cause against the informants but dismissed complaints against the charity’s managers.
Informants working for Destiny Rescue, a Christian anti-trafficking organization funded largely by donors in the United States and Australia, are suspected of sexually abusing minors during an undercover operation in the Philippines, according to an investigative report and court records. The allegations stem from a 2021 mission in Olongapo, northwest of Manila, where agents contracted by the charity were tasked with identifying child trafficking victims.
According to interviews conducted by Deutsche Welle (DW) and case files from the Philippine Department of Justice, two men identified as “Nico” and “Bryan” were employed as informants to gather intelligence on a suspected trafficking ring. Two victims, identified under the pseudonyms Alina and Reyna, stated that the men paid them for sexual acts in July 2021 as part of the infiltration process. The girls, aged 13 and 16 at the time, were unaware that the men were part of a surveillance operation intended to rescue them.
The operation culminated in a raid on August 4, 2021, at a resort in Olongapo. The Philippine National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), acting on intelligence provided by Destiny Rescue, secured the location. During the debriefing process at a shelter for exploited children, the victims disclosed to social workers that the men who had paid them for sex weeks earlier were present at the raid and appeared to be part of the rescue team.
Documents obtained during the investigation reveal that Destiny Rescue admitted to procedural failures. In a confidential letter sent to the Philippine National Police, the organization acknowledged a “breach in rescue protocol,” noting that an “unknown informant” had engaged in an “indecent act with a minor.” The letter suggested the act occurred while the informant was facing a “life-threatening situation,” though the organization did not provide further details regarding the nature of that threat.
Following a criminal complaint filed by the victims, a prosecutor from the Philippine Department of Justice investigated the matter. The prosecutor’s resolution found the two informants “probably guilty for use of a trafficked person.” However, complaints against Destiny Rescue’s managers were dismissed. The prosecutor stated there was nothing on record to show the managers committed an overt act contributing to the crimes alleged against their agents. The two informants remain at large.
Operational Oversight and Legal Standards
This incident highlights the complex ethical and legal risks associated with privatized anti-trafficking initiatives operating in foreign jurisdictions. While non-governmental organizations often provide essential resources to resource-strained local law enforcement, the reliance on civilian informants can create significant oversight gaps. The dismissal of charges against the organization’s leadership underscores the high legal threshold required to establish vicarious liability for the actions of contracted field agents. As the search for the suspects continues, this case prompts a broader examination of the protocols governing international charitable interventions in law enforcement matters. It is important to note that all individuals named in the investigation are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
