Legarda backs stronger law against online child abuse

Senator Loren Legarda reaffirmed her support for the Expanded Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act of 2025 as she delivered her co-sponsorship speech in plenary on 10 February 2026. The measure amends Republic Act No. 11930 to address evolving forms of child exploitation in digital spaces.

Legarda recalled that even before entering public service in 1998, she documented human trafficking through her investigative program Inside Story and a documentary based on the book They Are So Sweet, Sir, which detailed the lives of trafficked Filipinas in the Philippines and abroad during the 1970s and 1980s.

She said syndicates prey on vulnerability and poverty, and victims are often silenced by fear, shame, and coercion. Legarda stressed that perpetrators adapt quickly, exploiting every legal gap, coordination failure, and delay in enforcement.

“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 said.

The senator highlighted that while RA 11930 was a landmark legislation, offenders have adapted to encrypted platforms, digital payment systems, and cross-border hosting services. She noted that harm is no longer confined to a location but is recorded, replicated, and traded, leaving a digital footprint that follows a child for life.

Legarda cited reports that convicted American pedophile Jeffrey Epstein operated a network in the Philippines around 2010, even while anti-trafficking laws were in place. She said she would file a resolution calling on the Department of Justice, the National Bureau of Investigation, and the relevant Senate committee to investigate Epstein’s footprint in the country, including organizations, syndicates, and public relations outfits that may have helped sanitize his physical and digital image. She emphasized that anyone who enabled or profited from child abuse must be held accountable.

The proposed amendments to RA 11930 aim to improve agency coordination, impose stricter accountability on platforms operating in or reaching the Philippines, and equip authorities to secure and use digital evidence to identify victims, build cases, and collaborate internationally. Legarda said the measure reinforces enforcement by setting firmer standards and ensuring consistent child protection, moving away from fragmented efforts toward a more reliable 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.