Child sexual abuse materials could be accessed online for as low as ₱50 in PH -- DOJ

For as low as ₱50, unscrupulous individuals can access Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) from the Philippines, the Department of Justice (DOJ) revealed on Tuesday, Feb. 13.

“There are also CSAEM platforms na ₱300 pa lang makakapagsubscribe ka na sa mga videos. ‘Yung sa Telegram naman it can go as low as ₱50 (There are platforms where you can get CSAEM videos for a subscription fee of ₱300. In the online messaging application Telegram, you can go as low as ₱50),” said DOJ Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic F. Clavano IV on the occasion of Safer Internet Day.

Clavano said this was discovered by the research conducted by the DOJ on CSAEM and Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).

“Sa unang tingin hindi mo mapapansin para na pala ito sa OSAEC or CSAEM. Sa unang tingin parang nagtatransfer ka lang ng pambayad sa pamasahe o sa pagkain pero ‘yun meron ng underlying na crime (At first glance you won’t notice that these are for OSAEC or CSAEM. At first glance the money transfers being made seemed like for transport fare or for food but there is already an underlying crime,” lamented the lawyer.

Clavano also disclosed that “as per our research, OSAEC subscription to online platforms can go from anywhere between ₱1,500 to ₱15,000.”

Because of this, the lawyer said the government has been conducting dialogue with money transfer businesses.

“Meron na tayong ginagawang consultation and dialogue with money service businesses na hindi pa covered sa Anti-money Laundering Act (We are already conducting consultations and dialogue with the money service businesses which are not covered by the Anti-money Laundering Act),” he said.

The lawyer explained that suspicious transactions through these money service businesses are not covered transactions that the Anti-money Laundering Council (AMLC) watches out for.