Crackdown urged vs. online sale of materials used for child porn

Deputy Speaker Bienvenido Abante Jr. on Wednesday called on the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to put a stop to the sale of equipment and materials that could be used to produce child pornogaphy through online shopping platforms.

Abante made the call after the total number of suspicious transaction reports (STRs) related to child pornography more than doubled in 2020 as compared to the previous year.

In a statement, Abante expressed alarm on the "disturbing rise" in child pornography in the country, as shown in reports from the Department of Justice and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

For one, the AMLC stated in its public bulletin titled "Child pornography in the Philippines" that the volume of STRs related to child pornography reached 27,217 from January to June 2020 --- 2.5 times more than the 10,627 STR reports for the whole of 2019.

The STRs in 2020 are worth a total of P113.1 million, way higher than the total of P65.8 million for 2019.

“These figures the AMLC shared are only for the first half of 2020, and they reflect a tragic reality in our country: while the pandemic is raging outside, inside thousands of homes, Filipino children are being exploited and abused,” Abante said.

Considering the growing demand for online child pornography and with more children being vulnerable due to the quarantine restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, Abante said the government should be more aggressive in its efforts against child pornography.

“The government should step in to make sure the tools of this disgusting trade are not easily purchased online," he said.

“Alam naman ng mga awtoridad kung anu-ano ang mga kagamitan na ginagamit sa pag-produce ng child porn. Dapat i-identify ang mga ito at matanggal ito sa mga shopping apps," he added.

Abante's call came after Senator Sherwin Gatchalian alerted the public on the proliferation of sensual photos and videos being sold by students on social media to raise funds for distance learning-related expenses.

Citing a report from the Philippine Online Student Tambayan (POST), a news website on the student sector, Gatchalian said some students use #AlterPH, #AlterPinay, and #AlterPhilippines in selling their sensual photos and videos on Twitter to buy gadgets for their siblings and pay for Internet bills.

A Christmas bundle of these photos and videos, which are sold in bulk and revealed the faces of the sellers, is priced for as low as P150, he added.

Gatchalian called on the Department of Justice Office of Cybercrime and the Philippine National Police's Anti-Cybercrime Group to intensify their probe and crackdown on such activities. —LDF, GMA News