Stiffer penalties sought for cybersex offenders

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has filed a bill calling for the imposition of stiffer penalties against cybersex operators in the country.

Proposed Senate Bill 1945, or the Anti-Cybersex Act of 2005 was filed by Santiago last Friday in order to fill the void on specific laws against cybersex operations.

Santiago noted that cybersex dens have sprouted all over the country, reaching as far as Mindanao to become a major problem in the country.

Cybersex is a form of internet pornography wherein men and women perform sexual acts on computer video cameras which are streamed directly to the computers of paying customers.

"The crooks here are the operators of these cybersex dens. They trick or cajole innocent young girls into offering sexual entertainment over the internet," Santiago said.

She recalled her stint as Immigration Commissioner during the late 1980s during which she focused on going after rich foreign pedophiles.

Santiago said that cybersex operators could be just as powerful and influential as the pedophiles she went after before.

According to Santiago, cybersex has become a multi-million industry and that parents of school children have approached her for help in regulating the operations of internet cafes and shops across the country.

Under the proposed bill of Santiago, cybersex operators may be penalized with 15 years imprisonment and a fine of up to P1 million.

Cybersex den personnel will also be penalized under the bill with imprisonment of up to 12 years and a maximum fine of P500,000.

Protectors or coddlers of the cybersex operators will also be penalized with reclusion temporal and a fine ranging from P100,000 to P500,000.

Cybersex has become popular among internet users because of the ease of access to real-time pornography for a minimal fee.