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Horrifying cases of online child abuse

January 20, 2025 Alfred P. Dalizon 107 views

PHILIPPINE National Police Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) director Brigadier General Portia B. Manalad said they need the help of all Filipinos in their crackdown against widespread online sexual abuse or exploitation of children in the country.

In a report to PNP chief General Rommel Francisco D. Marbil, the official said their cyber-patrollers daily scour the web to validate information from different sources prior to launching operations to identify and arrest online sex offenders.

Since 2022, she said that 22 such rogue sites being maintained by Filipinos have been taken down following requests from their office and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Brig. Gen. Manalad said they have found out that citizens from highly-developed countries such as Australia, United States, United Kingdom and other European nations are usually the ‘clients’ of Filipinos involved in the ‘pay-per-view’ scheme involving trafficked Filipinos, many of them young children.

The official said their investigation showed that pedophiles from the above-named modern countries pay just a minimum of P500 to as much as P2,000 per image of a naked child or a photo showing the trafficked victim doing an indecent act.

“The minimum fee per live streaming is P2,000. What is horrifying here is that in some cases, the victims are as young as 4-months old. Others are between 15 to 18-years old. There are also cases of trafficked victims being made to pose as 12-year old students, being made to wear children’s clothes,” she told the Journal Group.

Brig. Gen. Manalad cited the case of a Filipina who allowed her boyfriend to ‘use’ her barely 4-year-old daughter in front of a webcam. The online sexual abuse lasted for three years before the man was arrested.

She said during an investigation, they initially thought that the woman was a ‘victim’ too as they found out that her boyfriend was a drug user. However, they eventually discovered that the woman herself was ‘selling’ her baby to pedophiles abroad.

There was a lengthy investigation of the case since the PNP-WCPC needed to seek a Warrant for Search, Seize and Examine Computer Data before raiding the woman’s house.

“Medyo private lahat, technical kasi nangyayari ang krimen-sex in front of camera- sa loob ng bahay. Ang facilitator ay ang nanay tapos ang victim ay ang anak niya. Me mga cases din na involved ang auntie, siblings, tatay, guardians and also, caretakers,” she said.

Another problem facing the PNP-WCPC is how to really take down all those illegal sites.

“Kasi pag nasa web na, pag nasa internet, ang tendency ng iba is ipasa. Pag na-takedown na ng Google naman, ang problema ay baka naipasa na sa Instagram, sa Facebook,” she said.

Brig. Gen. Manalad said Google, Snapchat and Facebook are fully cooperating with them.

However, she admitted that they need the cooperation of Telegram and TikTok to address the scourge in the country.

The official said they also need to further improve their tools and other equipment as they confront the challenges brought about by Artificial Intelligence in the country.

“Kasi unang-una, totoo bang bata o matanda itong kausap mo online kasi puwede na nilang ma-manipulate lahat, their age, appearance, even their location, Akala mo nasa Thailand ang kausap mo pero nasa Pilipinas pala.

Yung age of discernment ay dapat talagang tingnan. Baka akala ng mga bata na ang ka-chat nila ay same age nila pero hindi naman pala, yun pala ay matanda na with filtered image,” she said.

Brig. Gen. Manalad said another main problem they are facing is how to address the presence of ‘dark webs.’

“Meron talagang dark webs na me instigation ang mga personalities behind. Me mga pedophiles dito na gusto bestial acts, me cases na involved kahit na mga aso. Talagang mga abnormal persons abroad na handang magbayad para masunod ang gusto nila in front of webcams,” she narrated.

The most convenient excuse nowadays is poverty, she said. However, the official said all factors and opportunities are now already available for these breeds of criminals. “We have social media which can be used by sex fiends anytime they want. Imagine, some pedophiles even want to use instruments on young victims. What will you feel if you are a parent,” she asked.

The good thing in the fight against OSAEC, Brig. Gen. Manalad said, is that at present, the government already has more facilities to take good care of rescued victims.

The official thanked Gen. Marbil for fully supporting their unit. She said that the top cop was on top of the situation when they arrested Teddy Jay Mejia, a suspected Filipino pedophile in Dubai, United Arab Emirates last September.

The suspect was accused of engaging sexual exploitation by selling child sexual abuse and exploitation materials. He reportedly victimized 111 children of which 22 were rescued in different areas in Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Cavite, Bulacan and La Union provinces as well as Baguio and Taguig cities last year.

The suspect reported sold the victim’s child sexual abuse and exploitation materials on Telegram to 19 foreigners from 10 countries and received payment through online wallets.

The victims were also forced to perform sexual intercourse by the suspect who threatened to expose their nude photos and videos if they refused to follow his instructions.

“Nakakarimarim talaga na nangyayari ito, na mga bata ang biktima at yung iba, mga ina pa ang perpetrators. Pero sa bawat arrests, ang buong pamilya ang nasisira dahil ikukulong namin ang magulang, tapos yung bata ilalagay sa government facility. In the end, sira talaga ang pamilya,” she said.

Brig. Gen. Manalad also thanked their counterparts from the U.S., UK and Australia for helping them make arrests. “Pag me nakitang Asian-looking na target ang mga ito, ibabato agad sa amin at ilo-locate namin agad,” she said.

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