The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority measure seeking to strengthen the country’s child online safety framework amid rising cases of online sexual abuse and exploitation involving Filipino children.
House Bill No. 9461, or the proposed “Child Online Safety and Protection Act of 2026,” aims to expand Republic Act No. 11930, the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act of 2022.
Manila representative Rolando Valeriano, chair of the House Committee on Public Order and Safety, said the bill adopts a broader approach in addressing online child exploitation.
“Ultimately, the bill seeks to create a stronger and more coordinated national framework that protects children, improves investigations and prosecutions, strengthens victim protection, and ensures that offenders and facilitators are held accountable,” Valeriano said during sponsorship of the measure.
Valeriano said the existing law must keep pace with emerging technologies and increasingly sophisticated exploitation schemes.
“[RA 11930] was a landmark law that criminalized these offenses and established mechanisms for prevention and enforcement. However, experience since its enactment has revealed important legal and implementation gaps that must now be addressed,” he said.
The lawmaker said the Philippines continues to face high levels of online child sexual exploitation.
“The Philippines has long been identified as one of the global epicenters of [OSAEC] and [CSAEM], due to the alarming number of victims and facilitators operating in the country,” he said.
Citing the International Justice Mission’s “Scale of Harm” study, Valeriano said nearly 500,000 Filipino children, or one in every 100 Filipino children, were trafficked in 2022 to produce child sexual exploitation materials.
He also cited a study by UNICEF, INTERPOL, and ECPAT showing that 20 percent of Filipino internet users aged 12 to 17 experienced serious forms of online sexual abuse or exploitation, including blackmail, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and coercion through money or gifts.
Valeriano added that data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children showed the Philippines ranked second worldwide in cybertipline reports in 2024, with more than 1.7 million reports recorded.
“These figures highlight the urgent need for stronger and more responsive measures to protect Filipino children online,” he said.
Under the proposed measure, child sexual abuse materials will include artificial intelligence-generated, synthetic, and digitally manipulated exploitative content, including deepfakes involving children.
The bill also criminalizes sexual extortion, grooming, luring, image-based sexual abuse, and livestreamed exploitation.
Those convicted of producing, distributing, livestreaming, or facilitating child sexual abuse materials may face life imprisonment and fines of at least P2 million.
Possession of child sexual abuse materials may carry penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment and fines of up to P500,000, while merely accessing such materials may be punishable by up to 12 years imprisonment and fines of up to P300,000.
The bill also imposes additional obligations on internet intermediaries, digital platforms, financial intermediaries, regulators, and schools to help detect and report online child exploitation activities.
It authorizes lawful blocking, takedown, and disruption orders against online accounts, platforms, and digital infrastructure used in exploitation operations.
The measure likewise seeks to strengthen financial monitoring by allowing covered financial entities to temporarily restrict or suspend suspicious transactions linked to child exploitation offenses.
The proposal also creates the National Council for Child Online Safety and Protection under the Department of Justice, as well as the National Child-Safety Command and Operations Service as its operational arm.
