It came off as a shock: The news that Dutch authorities have cracked a child sex ring in the Philippines offering babies, as young as five months, for online pedophiles.

We have heard reports about syndicates offering young children to gratify the perversions of pedophiles, but babies!

According to the reports, authorities have rescued five children aged between five months and 12 years old who were offered for online sex shows.

What made it even more repugnant is that these children suffered exploitation from their own parents and grandparents.

That’s the most abhorrent case of child exploitation you can imagine. Stories abound that even ordinary criminals find child sex abuse so repulsive that they reserve a “special welcome” to such offenders when they arrive in jail.

Thus, the joint effort of Philippine and Dutch authorities to crush the child sex ring is commendable.

But at the back of our mind remains the nagging thought of the likelihood the same practice is perpetrated in other areas of the country undetected, remaining under the radar of our authorities.

It does not help that criminals take advantage of the ease of transaction and relative anonymity through the Internet and social media to hide their nefarious activities.

As part of their social responsibility, social media platforms should take pains to include in their algorithm safeguards against child exploitation.

It is imperative too for our law enforcers not only to partner with their international counterpart but also to keep abreast of the pace of technology and undertake proactive measures if they are serious in the effort of saving our children from this kind of abuse.

Poverty is the usual alibi of arrested suspects, when asked why they resorted to such criminal acts. While that is not a valid excuse, poverty indeed can be correlated to a certain extent, to a life of crime.

That is why the government must exert all efforts to sustain the momentum of its “Build, Build, Build” program meant to secure an inclusive economic growth in our country.

There should be no letup in the campaign to protect our youth from this despicable crime, as well as similar kinds of exploitation, that would surely leave an indelible scar in their minds.