Marcos wants to end online sexual abuse

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed pertinent government and law enforcement agencies to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the action plan to combat online sexual abuse and exploitation of minors in the country.

On Wednesday, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos said the President wanted online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (Osaec) and child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM) dealt with decisively.

Marcos gave the order during the sectoral meeting with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Department of Justice (DoJ) last Tuesday, with the Chief Executive tagging the country as the «worst place» for online sexual predators.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos. PCO Photo

Further, the President ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) and all concerned agencies to crush all perpetrators engaged in making, processing and distributing child sexual abuse materials with the full weight of the law.

«What the President said yesterday (Tuesday) was this is such a heinous crime — this is the worst of all crimes because this is against the children. That's why it is not just the police who will act on this; this will be an inter-agency initiative,» Abalos said in a Palace briefing.

«This will be a collaborative strength of the government. There is, of course, the police. There is also the Department of Justice [that] will prosecute. Also included are the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) and other agencies. This is a combined force of the government, and everyone will act on the problem,» he added.

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Moreover, Abalos urged the public to report Osaec cases to authorities, especially at the barangay (village) level, because many incidents are just swept under the rug and fail to reach the prosecution level.

He warned local officials against coddling suspects. «I will make sure you will also go to jail,» the official said.

Margarita Magsaysay, officer in charge and executive director of the National Coordinating Council on Osaec and CSAEM, echoed Abalos' statement.

She reiterated that sexual crimes committed against minors must be reported