WITH REPORTS FROM KRISTINA CRUJIDO &JOERLENNE ROJO/DNSC INTERNS
THE 21ST CITY Council on Tuesday called for a more extensive approach to keep children safe online in line with the celebration of Safer Internet Day for Children on Feb. 10.
Councilor Bonz Andre Militar passed a resolution on Tuesday enjoining the community in celebrating Safer Internet Day and urging parents and lawmakers to work for immediate action against online sexual abuse and exploitation.
“For the Filipino child, the Internet is a vast playground. It is where they learn, where they connect with family abroad, and where they dream. But we must be honest, that playground is not always safe,” Militar said in his privilege speech.
He added that while the digital world offers opportunities, children face cyberbullying, misinformation, and online predators who exploit their innocence.
“We cannot look the other way while our children explore these risks alone. Making the internet safer is not the job of one person; it is a bayanihan effort,” he said.
Parents, he stressed, must be the first line of defense in allowing the children to use gadgets.
“As lawmakers, we must continue to enforce rules that treat online crimes against children with the gravity they deserve,” Militar stressed, lauding Councilor Richlyn Justol-Baguilod for proposing an ordinance to protect children online.
The proposed ordinance aims to prohibit online sexual abuse of children and child sexual abuse and exploitation materials, which is prioritized by the committee on women, children, and family relations.
Militar told reporters he will also pass a resolution to amend the Internet Cafe ordinance to strictly monitor the piso vendo net in the city, where pornographic sites are not banned, and make it easier for children to have access to them.
“We can also monitor them, and we will know which pisonet is registered. Mostly, they don’t have a business permit and are not registered,” he stressed.
He also called on tech companies to place the protection of children over profit, by providing a guide to parents in blocking specific sites and controlling the time for Internet use for their children.
Safer Internet Day is officially recognized through Proclamation No. 417, declaring every second Tuesday of February as Safer Internet Day for Filipino Children.
