Amid the rapidly increasing cases of Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) in the Philippines, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with the members of the Inter-Agency Council Against Child Pornography (IACACP) and the Internet Service Providers (ISPs), pledged to protect Filipino children from pornography.

The Department organized a forum with ISPs on February 8 during the kick-off celebration of the Safer Internet Day Philippines. Entitled “ABCs of ISPs to combat OSAEC”, the forum aimed to share the safety mechanisms and available technologies, software, and systems of the ISPs to block and filter child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and child sexual exploitation material (CSEM). ISPs such as Converge ICT, Smart Communications, and PLDT, among others participated in the forum.

Under Republic Act No. 9775, also known as the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, ISPs were tasked to create a safe and child-friendly space online by installing filtering or blocking technology.

During the forum, Converge ICT shared that they have invested P100 million to intensify their security systems and have adopted industry-leading security measures that go beyond the minimum requirements set by the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). They also have a coordination mechanism with the law enforcement agencies for the reporting of all types of illegal content online.

Meanwhile, PLDT and Smart Communications have blocked 179,000 Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and online content linked to CSAM as of January 31 and have invested over P2 billion to strengthen their child security and child online protection efforts in 2021. They are at the forefront of transitioning from Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) to IPv6 in the country. They have also built a Child Protection Platform that detects, responds, and prevents domain and content-level access to child sexual abuse materials within the network. PLDT and Smart Communications have also secured alliances with global cyber threat intelligence and online protection entities.

On the other hand, the DSWD, as the lead agency in social protection, is also doing its part to address OSAEC and to help the victims through the Recovery and Reintegration Program for Trafficked Persons (RRPTP). RRPTP is one of the DSWD’s initiatives that ensures adequate recovery and reintegration services to victim-survivors of trafficking. It delivers a complete package of services that will enhance the psychosocial, social, and economic needs of the victim-survivors of trafficking. From 2016 to September 2021, the DSWD has assisted 1,040 victims of OSAEC and 128 victims in 2021 alone.

The DSWD also conducted a forum in November 2021 to reorient and further enhance the awareness and knowledge of the IACACP and its partners and other stakeholders on the available technologies to block and filter online CSAM and CSEM.

“Today’s undertaking is a follow-through from last year’s recommendation to secure the commitment of the ISPs on the directives of the council for the installation of filtering and blocking systems and any other technological solutions to address OSAEC. May this gathering of experts, advocates, and champions provide the appropriate solutions that we have been clamoring all these years,” DSWD Secretary Rolando Bautista said in his opening message during the forum.

“The IACACP is committed to working together with the private sector to fight OSAEC by maximizing the use of technologies in reporting of cases, coordinating efforts, and raising public awareness. May we continue to join hands to achieve a world that is safe, progressive, and peaceful for the children of the next generation,” he concluded.

Mandated through Presidential Proclamation No. 417 in 2018, Safer Internet Day for Children Philippines celebration is one of the strategies of the government, through the IACACP, to spread awareness on the emerging needs to ensure the protection of children from risks and abuses brought by misuse of the internet, or lack of awareness on internet safety. ###