Solon alarmed over online sale of lewd photos, videos

BY HANNAH TORREGOZA

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian sounded the alarm Sunday on alleged reports of students conducting a “Christmas sale” online of lewd photos and videos supposedly to raise funds for distance learning-related expenses.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts, and Culture, said the cybercrime divisions of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) should intensify their probe and crackdown on these activities to protect the country’s youth.

The senator cited a news report by The Philippine Online Student Tambayan (POST), a news portal on the student sector, that some students use #AlterPH, #AlterPinay, and #AlterPhilippines on Twitter to sell their photos and videos.

These students allegedly use their earnings to buy gadgets for their siblings and pay for Internet bills. A Christmas bundle reportedly contains an array of photos and videos that sometimes reveal the face of sellers and is sold for as low P150.

“Nakakabahalang dahil sa mga suliraning dinudulot ng pandemya, ang ating mga kabataan ay nahaharap sa matinding panganib na maging biktima ng pang-aabuso at karahasan,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

“Pinagsasamantalahan ng mga masasamang-loob ang pangangailangan ng ating mga mag-aaral at dapat itong labanan ng ating pamahalaan,” the lawmaker stressed.

The senator also said the Department of Education (DepEd) should boost its child protection program.

He said the DepEd Child Protection Committees or CPCs in schools are mandated to identify learners who may be experiencing abuse and exploitation and are also expected to report cases to government agencies and non-government organizations.

Gatchalian noted that there are 279,166 cases of online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) recorded in Metro Manila from March 1 to May 24 last year, an increase of 264 percent from the 76,561 cases recorded in the same period in 2019.

The senator had earlier said he is mulling to propose a law that would provide every learner in the country with a laptop and access to the Internet.

A provision under the bill, which has yet to be filed, he said would eliminate the need for learners to resort to desperate measures that may meet their current needs and will only cause psychosocial concerns and personal issues in the long run.