MANILA – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has signed the anti-child pornography law which imposes stiff penalties, including life imprisonment, on violators, a ranking member of the House of Representatives announced.
Aside from the stiff jail terms, Congresswoman Monica Prieto-Teodoro of Tarlac province in Central Luzon said that under the law, known officially as the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, violators are liable to a fine of a minimum equivalent to $10,000 to as high as $100,000.
Teodoro, the principal author of the law, said the enactment of the landmark bill comes at a time when the Philippines is to join the commemoration of the 20th year of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on November 20.
“Now that we already have a stringent law against child pornography, we can efficiently prosecutre perpetrators who produce, use and distribute child pornography,” said Teodoro, the chairman of the House Committee on the Welfare of Children.
She noted that the Philippines used to be a haven, especially of foreign pedophiles and distributors of child pornography.
But with its passage, the law can now assure safe haven for children who have become victims of this increasing problem worldwide, according to Teodoro.
The law defines child pornography as any representation, be it visual, audio or written form, or a combination, by electronic, mechanical, digital, optical, magnetic or other means, of a child engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities.
The law provides that any person who produces, distributes, publishes or commits other related acts will face stiff penalties.
It adds violators may include Internet service providers and Internet content hosts.
A child who is victimized shall be recognized as a victim of a violent crime and may claim compensation and protection under the law. It also provides mandatory services for the victim, including counselling, emergency shelter, educational assistance as well as free legal, medical and psychological assistance, the law also provides.
Teodoro lamented that Filipino children, as young as seven years old, have fallen victim to child pornography syndicates operating cyber sex dens.
She pointed out that modern technology and equipment, like digital cameras and cellular phones, have made child pornography easier to commit and more difficult for authorities to stop and for perpetrators to be arrested and prosecuted.
Teodoro is on her first term as member of the House to represent the second legislative district of Tarlac, which was vacated by her husband, Gilberto Teodoro, when he was appointed by President Arroyo as secretary of the Department of National Defense in 2007.
Teodoro resigned effective Monday to become the presidential standard bearer of the ruling Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats in the May 2010 elections.
Her aides said Congresswoman Teodoro would not seek reelection next year so she could devote her time helping her husband in his quest for the presidency.
Loading ...
Reader’s Views