黑料社

MANILA, Philippines 鈥� A 32-year-old woman from Iligan City has been convicted of facilitating the online sexual exploitation of children, following a 鈥済roundbreaking鈥� trial that made use of digital evidence and in-depth video interviews to protect the victims鈥� identities, officials said on Sunday.

A regional trial court in Iligan City found the woman, identified by the authorities only as 鈥淶ZZ,鈥� guilty of multiple violations of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, the antichild pornography law, and the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

The landmark case was reported on Sunday by the National Coordination Center (NCC) against Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, chaired by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla.

Details about the woman鈥檚 prison sentence and other penalties were still unclear at press time, as no copy of the decision was immediately made available to reporters.

Offered to foreigners

According to the center鈥檚 statement, the woman was arrested in 2019 after law enforcement discovered she was offering children to foreign perpetrators for sexual exploitation through online platforms.

The prosecution, led by Assistant Iligan City Prosecutor Jasmin Guiuo-Diaz, a member of the regional antitrafficking task force in Northern Mindanao, 鈥渁chieved a groundbreaking success鈥� by protecting the child victims from court appearances, the NCC said.

Instead, they maximized the use of digital evidence and video-in-depth interviews during the hearings.

Northern Mindanao Regional State Prosecutor Merlynn Barola-Uy said the ruling underscored the significance of proper case build-up in child trafficking cases.

鈥淢ost importantly, this case proves we can effectively use the VIDI mechanism as a child protection strategy, which the [Northern Mindanao regional task force] actively advocates for,鈥� Uy added.

The Department of Justice earlier identified Iligan City as one of the hotbeds for online child sexual abuse, along with the cities of Taguig and Cagayan de Oro.

P200 to P300 鈥榖ait鈥�

During a Palace briefing on April 25, Margarita Magsaysay, executive director of the DOJ Center for Anti-Online Child Sexual Abuse, explained that children residing in the 鈥減oorer side of the country,鈥� or rural areas, were 鈥渆asy targets鈥� of exploitation.

鈥淸Online sexual abuse of children] is [a] financially lucrative activity, the victims take the bait for around P300, P200 for just showing 鈥� nude pictures,鈥� Magsaysay said.

According to NCC, the landmark conviction underscores the judiciary鈥檚 commitment to combating crime and highlights its focus on child protection through modern tools.

Remulla, for his part, commended the prosecutors who handled the case for successfully securing the court鈥檚 conviction as he warned the perpetrators of online sexual abuse of children.

鈥淔or those who cleverly try to use technology to their advantage in abusing the weak by using online platforms to proliferate their criminal acts and exploit the purity of our children, let this be a final warning to you,鈥� he said.

鈥淭his government will never waver in its commitment to pursuing those who sexually exploit and abuse the most vulnerable sectors of society,鈥� Remulla added.