Tiangco sounds alarm on online child abuse

Navotas City Rep. Tobias "Toby" Tiangco urged concerned government agencies to strengthen efforts against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC). Tiangco expressed alarm as he cited statistics that one in every 100 Filipino children is a victim of sexual exploitation. He said that concerted actions of several agencies must align with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s whole-of-government approach in stopping perpetrators of crimes against children. In a statement sent to The Manila Times, Tiangco said, "President Bongbong Marcos' directive is clear: the government must ramp up efforts to combat child abuse in digital spaces." "The Philippines remains a hotspot for the sexual exploitation of children, and like the President, I find the statistics — one in every 100 Filipino children fall victim to abuse — is deeply alarming. We cannot allow these numbers to persist," he said. "Collective action is crucial to safeguarding the future of our youth," he pointed out. "In 2022 alone, the Anti-Money Laundering Council flagged transactions amounting to P1.5 billion that are suspected to be linked to online sexual abuse," he said. "By adopting a whole-of-government approach, we can anticipate a robust implementation of existing laws, including Republic Act 11930 (the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children Act) and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2022," he added.