CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 9461, principally authored by Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, which seeks to strengthen Republic Act 11930 or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act.

The measure, which has been transmitted to the Senate for consideration, aims to enhance legal protection for Filipino children against neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions harmful to their development.

It also seeks to ensure survivor-centered, trauma-informed and rights-based care, rehabilitation and long-term reintegration for child victims.

Among its key provisions are amendments that expand the law’s coverage to address emerging threats, including artificial intelligence-generated and deepfake content, sexual extortion and image-based sexual abuse.

The bill also proposes the creation of the National Council for Child Online Safety and Protection, an attached agency of the Department of Justice.

The council will serve as the country’s inter-agency coordinating, policymaking, regulatory and compliance-monitoring body in the fight against online child sexual abuse and exploitation, with the National Child-Safety Command and Operations Service serving as its operating arm.

Rodriguez said the measure aims to further strengthen the country’s legal framework to protect children from online sexual exploitation and abuse, particularly as technology continues to evolve.