The Philippine National Police (PNP) went to court this Thursday and filed an application related to their obtaining information from Facebook and YouTube users who target minors for obscene activities.
According to a report by ABS-CBN News, the Women and Children Cybercrime Protection Unit (WCCPU) of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, along with the Manila regional trial court, filed an application for them to issue a warrant to disclose computer data (WDCD ).
According to the WCCPU, such a warrant will allow them to obtain information from FB and YT users who initiate child exploitation so that they can file “appropriate charges” in court.
It was only this July that Sen. Risa Hontiveros launched the YouTube channel “Usapang Diskarte” which shows videos on how to “groom” a girl and how to have sexual intercourse with a child.
Because of this, the Facebook and YouTube accounts of the said group were deleted with the help of the DOJ Office of Cybercrime.
Only this Thursday did the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) denounce social media pages promoting child exploitation.
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“We reiterate that this is a heinous crime that tramples over the rights of minors, and causes lifelong consequences to victims and their families,” said CHR executive director Jacqueline Ann De Guia in a statement.
The agency first called on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to sign the Anti-Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children Law, which would provide tougher penalties and order internet providers to remove or remove websites that shows the abuse of minors.
The proposal was enacted this Thursday.
“This key legislation will strengthen the role of law enforcement in pursuing offenders as well as improve government coordination and response through the establishment of the National Coordinating Center against OSAEC under the Inter Agency Council against Trafficking (IACAT),” the agency said.
“[W]ith the law in place, CHR will be equipped with a stronger legal aegis to protect young people against child abusers and predators,” it added.
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