MANILA, Philippines — To fight the rise in Internet-related crimes in the country, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has created a special unit to go after cybercriminals.

Named Project “Angel Net,” the unit will focus on the protection of children from Internet pornography and other abuses, said Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr., head of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

“Angel Net is in support of the advocacy to protect kids from Internet addiction and cyber predators that are commonly involved in cybersex, Internet pornography, internet gambling and identity theft,” Pagdilao said.

He said the action center will be manned by computer experts from the CIDG and will be in close coordination with other police units for follow-up operations based on the complaint that would be lodged in its website.

As such, Pagdilao urged the public to report cybercrimes, in the light of the latest study that Internet-related crimes are not being addressed efficiently because few victims seek police assistance.

He said Internet-related crimes can be reported through the CIDG-Internet Child Protection Program website, www.cidgangelnet.ph., which officially went online Thursday.

“The website will serve as an online complaint center where people can directly report incidents of child abuses related to Internet,” said Pagdilao.

The center “will enhance the capability of the CIDG to monitor and track cyber predators for their eventual arrests and prosecution in court,” he added.

On the other hand, the complaint desk run by the Women’s and Children Protection Division (WCPD) will handle walk-in complainants.

How it would operate

Pagdilao said Angel Net will carry out round-the-clock digital tracking, collating, collecting, archiving, investigating and interdicting activities that will identify Internet predators and the proper documentation of their corresponding illegal activities that could lead to arrests.

He said the website will also provide an effective vehicle for other law enforcement agencies, both local and international, in terms of coordination and cooperation with other stakeholders for advocacy and public awareness campaign on the proper, safe and ethical usage, as well as the dangers brought by Internet.

Pagdilao said Angel Net will also carry out undercover surveillance and monitoring and digital forensic examination on electronic evidence.

Tips for parents on how to protect their children from cybercrimes will also be available.

A total of 72 Internet-related crimes were reported from January to December last year, while 56 cases have already been reported from January to May this year, according to the PNP.

Pagdilao considers that cases of cybercrimes are not alarming at this point but he expects it to worsen, considering the increase in internet users in the Philippines.

Some 29 million Filipinos have Internet access, with 23 million having a Facebook account, said Senior Supt. Gilbert Sosa, chief of the CIDG-Anti-Transnational Crime Division, citing recent statistics.

“For the past 10 years, Internet users in the Philippines grew by 1000 percent. In terms of Facebook use alone, we are already number five in the world,” said Sosa.

Pagdilao said rapid growth demands the need to protect Filipino children from the negative effects of internet use and to shield them from criminals preying on internet users.

“It’s really more about educating the kids and the parents, that’s very important,” said Pagdilao.

Both Pagdilao and Sosa said protecting the children from adverse effects of Internet overexposure is important since the country still has no laws regarding cybercrimes.

Sosa said they have been working for the enactment of a cybercrime law in the past three Congresses but to no avail.

While waiting for the bill to be enacted into law, Sosa said they have been implementing a three-pronged approach in dealing with cybercrimes: organization capacity-building in the PNP that will include training and hiring of computer experts, awareness advocacy to internet users, and, intensifying international cooperation in going after cybercrime suspects.