Metro Manila, Philippines – The Department of Justice (DOJ) said proposed amendments to the child protection law could potentially address violent extremism and serious violence in the wake of the Zamboanga school shooting.
In a Senate hearing on Thursday, Aug. 20, DOJ executive director Barbara Mae Pagdilao-Flores said the DOJ sees the possibility of including provisions that could address the concern, but added that these should be narrowly and carefully crafted to withstand legal challenges.
“We want to be very cautious because we don’t want this to be subject to much legal pushback,” she said. “We would suggest a careful, limited provision that would answer this particular problem.”
The DOJ also acknowledged an overlap between online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC), child sexual abuse or exploitation materials (CSAEM), and nihilistic violent extremism (NVE), particularly in the way perpetrators groom and manipulate victims.
Senator Risa Hontiveros asked whether the proposed amendments to the anti-OSAEC and anti-CSAEM law could also cover tools and provisions against NVE. The Senate is investigating in aid of legislation the Ateneo de Zamboanga University high school shooting and concerns over the role of online platforms and violent extremist content in influencing potential copycat attacks.
Flores said the overlaps may involve similar tactics, including building trust, isolating victims, normalizing harmful conduct, exploiting vulnerabilities, maintaining secrecy, using threats, and gradually escalating control.
She also pointed to the use of similar online spaces, including encrypted messaging platforms, gaming communities, and livestreaming services.
The proposed amendments to Republic Act 11930 seek to strengthen protections against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.
Among the proposed measures are the criminalization of AI-generated child sexual abuse materials, greater accountability for technology and financial platforms, the creation of a child sex offender registry, and a child safeguarding trust fund.
Flores said the proposed amendments could potentially address such cases, particularly those involving grooming and sexual or sadistic extortion.
She said the proposed law already contains provisions that could help address high-risk online platforms.
Hontiveros earlier called on Meta to take greater responsibility for harmful content circulating on its platforms.
Senator Erwin Tulfo, meanwhile, questioned security lapses at the school and alleged differences in screening procedures depending on how students entered the campus. He also raised reported threats allegedly made by the student before the shooting, saying these should have been reported to authorities.
