A resolution has been filed in the Senate calling for an investigation into the alarming increase in online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).
According to an Inquirer.net report, Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros filed Resolution No. 1307, which seeks to probe the growing criminal networks operating through online chat platforms. The move was prompted by a report from Deep Web Konek, revealing that thousands of Filipino minors have been victimized or involved in OSAEC-related activities.
According to the report, more than 100 private chat channels were identified as hubs for illicit digital content, with one platform alone hosting over 100,000 members and distributing over 40,000 explicit files. Transactions were mainly processed through e-wallets such as GCash, with the use of mule accounts and disposable digital wallets to obscure financial trails.
Hontiveros also pointed out disturbing findings that some parents were complicit in the trafficking of their own children. She stressed the urgency of the probe, citing challenges in law enforcement despite the passage of Republic Act No. 11930, which aims to combat OSAEC. The senator noted that emerging technologies, cross-border operations, and underground digital financial systems have made it increasingly difficult to track and prosecute offenders.
The resolution seeks to address these gaps and strengthen the government’s efforts in protecting children from online exploitation.
