Loren references Epstein to bolster child abuse law

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 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.