Senator Loren Legarda: Perpetrators of sexual abuse 'move with technology'

Senator Loren Legarda reaffirmed her support for the proposed Expanded Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act of 2025, a measure amending Republic Act No. 11930 to strengthen safeguards against emerging forms of child exploitation in digital spaces.

In her sponsorship speech,Legarda recalled that even before entering public service in 1998, she had already been documenting the horrors of human trafficking through her investigative program, Inside Story.

As a journalist, she produced a documentary based 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, demonstrating that trafficking was already a global scourge even before the advent of today’s digital technologies.

“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 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 stressed that as criminals become more sophisticated, the government cannot remain static and must respond with stronger policies, smarter enforcement, and unified action across agencies, communities, and borders.

“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,” she said.

The four-term senator noted that while Republic Act No. 11930 marked a major legislative milestone, abusers have rapidly adapted to encrypted platforms, digital payment systems, and cross-border hosting services.

“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 added that the urgency of action is underscored by reports that convicted American pedophile Jeffrey Epstein operated a network in the Philippines around 2010, despite the country already having anti-trafficking laws in place.

She said she plans to file a resolution urging 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 groups that may have helped sanitize his physical and digital image, stressing that anyone who enabled or profited from the abuse of children must be held accountable.

Legarda emphasized that uncovering the full extent of the network — and the systems that allowed it to operate despite existing laws — requires not only investigations but also stronger legal tools to close enforcement and coordination gaps.

The proposed amendments to Republic Act No. 11930 seek to enhance inter-agency coordination, impose stricter accountability on platforms operating in or reaching the Philippines, and strengthen authorities’ capacity to secure and use digital evidence to identify victims, build cases, and cooperate with foreign counterparts. Legarda said the measure aims to reinforce enforcement by establishing firmer accountability standards and ensuring consistent child protection, moving away from fragmented efforts toward a more integrated 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.

-Paraluman News