Tiangco sounds the alarm about online child abuse

Navotas City Representative Tobias “Toby” Tiangco urged relevant government agencies to intensify efforts against online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OSAEC).

Tiangco expressed his concern, citing statistics showing that one in every 100 Filipino children is a victim of sexual exploitation.

He said joint actions by various agencies should be in line with the government-wide approach of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to stop perpetrators of crimes against children.

In a statement to The Manila Times, Tiangco said: “The directive from President Bongbong Marcos is clear: the government must step up efforts to combat child abuse in the digital world.”

“The Philippines continues to be a hotspot for child sexual exploitation, and like the President, I find the statistics — one in every 100 Filipino children is a victim of abuse — deeply alarming. We cannot allow these numbers to continue,” he said.

“Collective action is crucial to secure the future of our youth,” he stressed.

“In 2022 alone, the Anti-Money Laundering Council has flagged transactions worth 1.5 billion pesos suspected of being linked to online sexual abuse,” he said.

“By adopting a whole-of-government approach, we can expect robust implementation of existing laws including Republic Act 11930 (the Online Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Act) and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022,” he added.