Representatives from government, law enforcement, telco, education, media, and the private sector came together for a forum led by PROTECTA Pilipinas to strengthen efforts to protect children against online violence and exploitation.

“Protecting the connectivity that Filipinos depend on includes protecting the people, especially the children, who rely on that connectivity every single day. When we talk about infrastructure resilience, we usually think of disasters, cable theft and cyberattacks. But another kind of resilience we must build is resilience against the exploitation of the children who use these networks to learn, play, and connect with the world,” said Atty Roy D. Ibay, Smart VP and Head of Regulatory Affairs and lead convenor of PROTECTA.

In addition to expanding reporting and coordination mechanisms, calling for the consistent adoption of anti-child online exploitation platforms and tools, and including fintech partners into the conversation, Ibay also emphasized the importance of advocating for stronger legal frameworks to strengthen protections for children in the digital age.

“No single actor can secure our digital ecosystem alone. Protecting Filipino children online will take government, industry, civil society, and communities working as one alliance,” he added.

Also among the speakers were PLDT Chief Operating Officer Menardo G. Jimenez Jr., Usec. Angelo Tapales of the Council for the Welfare of Children, Asec. Alvin Navarro of the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center, and Lt. Col. Ayn Natuel of the PNP Women and Children Protection Center. Also joining the panel were Frances Kristine Canon of Creative Learning Paths School, Karlos Naidas of Pixel for Creators, and Dr. Joan Mae Rifareal, Immediate Past President of the Philippine Psychiatric Association.

CWC Usec Tapales emphasized that protecting children online should be approached foremost as a child rights issue, and that while children must be protected from harmful content, abuse, and exploitation, they also have the right to meaningful access to technology, information, education, participation, expression, privacy, and development.

“The objective should not be to keep children away from technology, but to ensure that they can access and participate in the digital environment safely, meaningfully, and in an age-appropriate manner,” Tapales said. “Children should not have to choose between being connected and being safe. Our responsibility is to make the digital environment safer for every child.”

The forum, moderated by PLDT and Smart Public Engagement Group Head Roby Alampay, also underscored a shared view among stakeholders that efforts to address online harms must continue to respect rights, due process, and privacy, while enabling government, industry, communities, and families to respond more effectively, more quickly, and more collaboratively to emerging threats facing children online.

Participants also agreed that the Philippines is not starting from scratch, with existing laws, protocols, reporting mechanisms, and multi-stakeholder collaborative efforts already in place to combat online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) and child sexual abuse and exploitation materials (CSAEM). However, recent cases involving online violence and harmful digital communities have highlighted the need to expand and adapt these frameworks to address new forms of harm affecting children.

Acknowledging PLDT’s role as a telco, Jimenez said that the forum offers the perfect opportunity to seek guidance on how telcos can maximize existing controls to safeguard children.

“Telcos have a moral responsibility to our people, especially the children. This forum is important to us because we need clear guidance to know when and how we’re going to shut down these evil platforms,” Jimenez said. “We’re not talking about numbers here. We don’t need a million kids groomed before we do something. All it takes is one kid, because that can be your kid. Telcos are not here to play god. We’re here to protect kids being brainwashed and directed to commit hideous acts."

Spearheaded by PLDT, PROTECTA Pilipinas is a multi-stakeholder alliance that brings together government, industry, and communities to strengthen cyber resilience, protect critical infrastructure, and promote a safer digital environment for Filipinos.