Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla on Wednesday, Aug. 24, warned telecommunication firms and internet service providers (ISPs) that charges will be filed against them if they will not address strictly and effectively issues on online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).

“We will give them an ultimatum,” declared Remulla during the Kapihan sa Mainla Bay forum.

Remulla warned that “’pag hindi nag-cooperate ang mga ISPs at nakalusot lagi, there’s a pattern na lumulusot sa kanila (if the ISPs don’t cooperate and there is a pattern that the illegal activities pass through them), we will also include them in the people who will be charged for online sexual exploitation.”

He reminded that in 2021 the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) issued a show cause order against 47 ISPs for failing to comply with Republic Act No. 9775, the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009.

Former Justice Secretary and incumbent Solicitor General Menardo I. Guevarra in 2020 appealed for ISPs to comply with the law which states: “An ISP shall, upon the request of proper authorities, furnish the particulars of users who gained or attempted to gain access to an internet address which contains any form of child pornography.”

“The NTC can issue fines on a daily basis for non-compliance. That's been done before. Of course, they can be closed down if they refuse to cooperate,” Remulla stressed.

He said he will meet with officials and personnel of the cybercrime units of the DOJ and the National Bureau of Investigation to “know how long it will take for these key persons to comply with the law.”

“I'll be speaking to the heads of our cybercrime division of both DOJ and NBI so we will know what it would take for them to comply and what is needed,” he explained.

He pointed out that the government needs the help of everybody in the fight against OSAEC.

“Definitely millions of dollars are exchanged on a daily basis. Kaya nga ang sabi namin kahapon the sad thing about this is that we are number one in the world in this activity, online sexual exploitation. It is not a source of pride. It is a source of shame for our country,” he lamented.

Last Tuesday, Aug. 23, the government declared an all-out war against OSAEC.

“Yes. We are declaring a war on this,” said Remulla during a press conference that was held jointly with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the United States Homeland Security.

Remulla, chairperson of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), explained that the government has taken action due to concerns that the Philippines has become the top source of OSAEC.

He appealed to companies as well as to the public to help in the government’s fight.

“Sana po ay makiisa kayo sa amin dito (We hope you join us in this endeavor),” he urged.

He said telecommunication companies and internet providers can contribute in the fight by blocking such activities.

He warned: “If there are people who do not cooperate but have direct or indirect participation, we will not hesitate to charge anybody who helped perpetuate a crime of this nature. We will not hesitate to prosecute anybody who cooperates directly or indirectly to this nature.”