Manila, Oct. 1 -- Authorities have rescued potential human trafficking victims as they increased surveillance in the southern province of Tawi-Tawi, the police said Wednesday.

Maj. Randy Veran, chief of the Tawi-Tawi Maritime Police Station, said the would-be victims were rescued around 4 p.m. Tuesday at the port of Bongao, the province's capital town.

Veran withheld the identities of the rescued victims, only stating that two are males and the other two are females recruited from different parts of the country.

They were rescued during the profiling of passengers aboard a commercial ferry that had just docked at the port of Bongao.

"We received information from an informant that there are individuals who will be traveling to Malaysia...