Cuenco files measure vs online sexual abuse

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Council is pushing for a local ordinance against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

Last Wednesday, the City Council conducted a public hearing on the proposed ordinance, "An Ordinance Prohibiting Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (SAEM) in the City of Cebu, Institutionalizing Programs for Its Prevention and Eradication, Providing Penalties Thereof, and Establishing a Supportive Environment for Child Victims, and Providing Funds Therefor."

The ordinance was authored by Councilor James Anthony Cuenco.

Cuenco said he decided to propose the ordinance following a memorandum from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), mandating local government units (LGUs) to integrate Republic Act 11862, or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022, into its local ordinances.

Lucille Dejito, director of the International Justice Mission Cebu Program Office, spoke on behalf of the non-government organizations (NGOs) dealing with the Women and Children sector for the inter-agency council against trafficking at the national level.

She said that in their studies released in 2023, it was found out that nearly half a million children in the Philippines were trafficked to produce child exploitation materials, which she described as a "glaring reality."

In the same study, Dejito revealed that Cebu City is one of the cities with the highest prevalence of OSAEC cases.

She said her group is supporting the approval of the ordinance, specifically the creation of a multi-disciplinary team that will serve as a response team on the ground.

She added that the study was conducted in collaboration with 24 other sectors from the Philippines and other countries. As for the ranking, she revealed that Cebu City ranked 4th among cities with the most OSAEC cases.

Dejito also mentioned that even when the Anti-Money Laundering Council released a report on suspicious transactions likely linked to online sexual exploitation of children in 2024, Cebu City was also among the top cities in terms of the number of transactions.

“The study also shows that there is massive underreporting of these types of cases. Most of these come from foreign law enforcement referrals,” said Dejito.

She said that there is a significant disparity between the number of OSAEC survivors rescued by law enforcement, which stands at 1,400, and the half a million children trafficked for exploitation.

Dejito emphasized the need to step up efforts to spread awareness at the community level.

Dejito also supported the ordinance’s provision to train personnel, particularly police officers, in dealing with these cases.

“To strengthen this ordinance, the campaign must focus on changing behaviors so that the community will see this as an opportunity to protect children in the localities,” said Dejito.

With the facts presented by Dejito, Cuenco underscored the need to intensify the City’s effort to counter OSAEC cases and highlighted the importance of creating mechanisms to address the trauma of survivors.

Lawyer Marygrace Casano, executive director of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Cebu City Chapter who is also the president of the Cebu City Lady Lawyers, expressed the need for this ordinance despite the existence of the national legislation.

She said the local action of the City will form the "walls of protection." She said that without local enforcement, national laws would be mere words on paper.

“We cannot dismiss the need for a city ordinance on OSAEC because by ignoring it, we ignore the fact that enforcement, victim support, and community prevention should not be at the national level, but at the local level,” she said.

Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera mentioned that a special body tasked with handling OSAEC programs and enforcement was established in 2022.

Councilor Joel Garganera, however, noted that despite the established programs and legislation with similar goals, the number of unrecorded OSAEC cases cannot be overlooked.

According to him, the root cause of the matter is money, which is often linked to poverty.

He added that in some cases, the transactions are initiated within families. He then suggested tracing these transactions and finding ways to impose restrictions.

Agent Maria Contesa Lastimoso of the National Bureau of Investigation Cybercrime Division in Region 7, who handles OSAEC cases, pointed out the need for multi-agency cooperation and lauded the council's initiative in creating the ordinance. (CEBU NEWS)