Local internet regulatory committee in the city planned

THERE is a need to further protect the public particularly the youth from the evils of graphic and pornographic articles, pictures, stories, or videos that are readily accessible through the internet.

This is the reason behind the proposed legislative measure of City Councilors Elaine Sembrano and Maria Mylen Yaranon that seeks to require establishments offering internet services to the public to provide an appropriate computer program, software filters and such other implements, gadgets or measures to prevent access to pornographic web sites, as well as creating a local internet regulatory committee for the purpose.

In their proposal the lady councillors observed that “the proliferation of internet service businesses in the city has facilitated access not only to information on a global magnitude but also of illicit materials such as graphic and pornographic articles, pictures, stories, or sexually suggestive exchanges on the social media, sexually arousing videos/pictures that opens up and play on one’s computer screen, which may either be pre-recorded or live. That web cameras interfaced with a computer enable one to broadcast live streaming images of oneself, and which has been increasingly used to perpetrate cyber sexual activity. Moreover, chat rooms, whether general or private, are becoming popular that often leads to cyber-sex, phone sex, or actual meetings in the flesh”

They further pointed out that “the easy access to pornographic and sensual websites in the internet poses danger to the psycho-social and moral development and orientation of the public especially the youth.”

With this in mind councillors Sembrano and Yaranon came up with the proposal for the city to declare it a policy to “promote and protect the physical, moral, spiritual, and social well-being of its inhabitants by protecting them from indecent, lewd and inappropriate publications in the internet that may cause damage to the moral and social values of its constituents, especially the youth in their formative years”.

Under the said proposed regulatory measure which covers all internet service businesses or cafes, establishments and offices offering free Wi-Fi services to the public, including government agencies and offices in the City of Baguio, shall be required to install proper filters, software or program in their respective computer units or hardware used in business, to block or deprive customers and clients from accessing pornographic sites or to prevent them from opening, viewing or downloading from any website containing sexually explicit materials through the internet while they are within the establishment offering such internet service. Relative to this it was also recommended that a local internet regulatory committee be created to be headed by the local chief executive in order to see to it that the said regulatory measure will be effectively implemented once it is approved and enforced in the city.

The said proposed ordinance also recommends the following penalties for its violation which is a fine of one thousand pesos for the first offense, a fine of three thousand pesos and suspension of the business operation for three month for the second offense, and for the third and subsequent offenses a fine of five thousand pesos and cancellation or non-renewal of business permit.