ALARMING
THE Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group has expressed alarm over rising cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children and proliferation of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials noting that many victims have fallen prey to child beauty pageant and modeling scams.
According to the PNP-ACG headed by Brigadier General Ronnie Francis M. Cariaga, they have recorded a surge in the number of OSAEC and CSAEM victims particularly modeling scams and child beauty pageants that have sexually abused and exploited children this year.
Records from the PNP-ACG said there were at least 66 cases of recorded child victims in the first half of 2024 alone.
Last July 31, the PNP-ACG and the Council for Welfare of Children (CWC) signed a memorandum of understanding at Camp Crame aimed at addressing the problem brought about by modern information communication technology.
Under the agreement, the PNP-ACG through its Women and Children Cybercrime Protection Unit (WCCPU) shall act on cases referred by the MAKABATA Helpline 1383 of the CWC or any information directly reported by any concerned citizen relative to unlawful acts committed by, through, and with the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) involving children.
The MAKABATA Helpline being operated by the CWC receives reports of any form of child abuse via call, email, or social media which then are referred to the PNP-ACG for appropriate action.
Amid the surging number of online child sex abuse, the PNP-ACG and the CWC advised all parents, guardians, and children that photos, videos, and other recording materials of pageants or activities featuring children may circulate online and could never be fully taken down as copies of which may be re-uploaded.
Parents were also reminded of the importance of responsible online parenting, urging them to be mindful of what they share about their children online, especially if it includes geolocation tags that reveal their exact address or location.
Brig. Gen. Cariaga likewise urged the public to report immediately any sexually abusive materials involving children or those that could be exploited online to the WCCPU’s AlengPulis Cybersquad thru mobile number 09688964759 .
The public may also contact the MAKABATA Helpline 1383 through mobile numbers 09193541383 and 09158022375; email address [email protected]; Facebook page Makabata Helpline; Instagram account makabata_helpline; website www.cwc.gov.ph; and eGov mobile app.
The PNP-ACG said their AlengPulis Cybersquad conducts regular monitoring and web crawling of reported materials to ensure that re-uploaded materials are immediately taken down.
