ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 18 Sept) — Fourteen would-be trafficking victims were rescued Wednesday in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, according to the Western Mindanao Naval Command (WMNC). Would-be trafficking victims are being registered by the Tawi-Tawi Municipal Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking. Chester Ross Cabaltera, WMNC spokesman, said the human trafficking operation was conducted at Sanga-Sanga Airport in Tawi-Tawi’s provincial capital. The victims were 12 women and 2 men, mostly from Luzon and Visayas, found to have traveled from Manila to Zamboanga City before proceeding to Tawi-Tawi, Cabaltera said. The successful rescue highlights the continuing challenge of human trafficking in the southern backdoor of the Philippines, where syndicates often exploit porous borders and the lure of overseas work.