Rizal 2nd District Representative Fidel Nograles seeks to strengthen the Republic Act 9775 or the “Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009” following the increasing number of students reportedly selling their own sensual photos in order to support their distance learning requirements.
According to a data released by the Department of Justice, through U.S.-based National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the number of cyber sexual abuse among minors had grown exponentially from March 1 to May 24, 2020 totalling to 279,166 cases.
The volume is a 264.63 percent increase if compared to what was recorded during the same period in 2019, totalling to 76,561 cases.
“We have to place measures to protect our children—even from themselves. We have to act so that children are not forced to prostitute themselves because of their needs,” Nograles, author of House Bill No. 7633 or the Anti-Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children Act of 2020, said.
Nograles in his bill, seeks to amend the Section 9 of RA 9775, which I approved will state the duties of an information and communication technology service provider as: “All Information and Communication Technology Service Providers (ICTSP) shall install available technology, program or software to ensure that access to or transmittal of any form of child pornography will be blocked or filtered.”
“All ICTSP shall notify the Philippine National Police (PNP) or the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) within seven (7) days from obtaining facts and circumstances that any form of child pornography is being committed or has been committed using its server or facility or platform. All ICTSP shall maintain the privacy of the data captured relevant to this section while complying with notification requirements of this section. Provided, that no ISP shall be held civilly liable for damages on account of any notice given in good faith in compliance with this section. Provided further that the data captured solely for complying to this Section shall be exempt from the application of the Data Privacy Act,” the bill stated.
Additionally, the congressman also urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to formulate ways on how to assist the learners.
“Tayong nasa pamahalaan ang dapat na namomroblema at gumagawa ng solusyon kung paano nila maipagpapatuloy ang pag-aaral nila,” Nograles appealed.