Senator backs tougher law vs online child exploitation

Senator Loren Legarda reaffirmed her support for the Expanded Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act of 2025, a measure that would amend Republic Act No. 11930 to strengthen safeguards against evolving forms of child exploitation in digital spaces, in a co-sponsorship speech delivered in plenary on Feb. 10.

Legarda said her push for stronger protections stems from work she did before entering public service, including documenting human trafficking through her investigative program “Inside Story,” and producing a documentary on the book “They Are So Sweet, Sir,” which chronicled the lives of trafficked Filipinas in the Philippines and abroad in the 1970s and 1980s.

“Long before I entered public service, I saw how syndicates prey on vulnerability and poverty, and how victims are silenced by fear, shame, and coercion,” Legarda said, recalling the stories of women and children lured by false promises only to be trapped by syndicates that thrive on secrecy, intimidation, and impunity.

“Through their stories, I learned that perpetrators do not stand still. They move with technology, hide behind new fronts, and exploit every gap in law, every weakness in coordination, and every moment of institutional delay,” she added.

Legarda argued that as criminals adapt, government policy and enforcement must move faster, with tighter coordination among agencies and stronger cross-border cooperation.

“This is why I championed Republic Act 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012—to strengthen our laws, tighten accountability, and build a more coordinated national response against an evolving crime. Today, the same logic applies with even greater urgency to online child sexual abuse and exploitation,” Legarda exclaimed.

She said Republic Act No. 11930 was a landmark law, but abusers have adjusted to encrypted platforms, digital payment channels, and cross-border hosting services, creating new challenges for investigators and prosecutors.

“The harm is no longer confined to a specific place; it is recorded, replicated, and traded, leaving a digital footprint that follows a child for life,” she said.

Legarda said the urgency of action is further underscored by reports that convicted American pedophile Jeffrey Epstein operated a network in the Philippines around 2010, when the country already had anti-trafficking laws in place.

She said she will file a resolution calling on the Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the appropriate Senate committee to investigate Epstein’s footprint in the Philippines, including the organizations, syndicates, and public relations outfits that may have worked to cleanse his physical and digital image, stressing that anyone who enabled or profited from the abuse of children must be held accountable.

Legarda said confronting the possible breadth of such networks—and the systems that may have allowed them to operate—requires both investigations and stronger legal tools to close gaps in enforcement and coordination.

She said the proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 11930 would improve coordination among agencies, impose greater accountability on platforms operating in or reaching the Philippines, and equip authorities to secure and use digital evidence to identify victims, build cases, and collaborate with foreign partners, aiming to replace fragmented efforts with a more reliable child-protection system.

“The Expanded Anti-Online OSAEC and CSAEM Act of 2025 is a necessary step in keeping our laws responsive to evolving technology and cross-border criminality. In supporting this measure, we affirm that the Philippines will not allow digital spaces, financial channels, or jurisdictional distance to become safe havens for those who profit from the abuse of children,” she concluded.