Co-sponsorship Speech of Senator Legarda | Expanded Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act of 2025 | February 10, 2026

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues:

Long before I entered public service, I saw how syndicates prey on vulnerability and poverty, and how victims are silenced by fear, shame, and coercion. I listened to stories of women and children lured by promises of a better life, only to be trapped by syndicates that thrive on secrecy, intimidation, and impunity.

Through their stories, I learned that perpetrators do not stand still. They move with technology, hide behind new fronts, and exploit every gap in law, every weakness in coordination, and every moment of institutional delay.

When criminals become more creative, the State must be more deliberate: stronger in policy, smarter in enforcement, and more united in action across agencies, communities, and borders. This is why I championed Republic Act 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012—to strengthen our laws, tighten accountability, and build a more coordinated national response against an evolving crime. Today, the same logic applies with even greater urgency to online child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Republic Act 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) and Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act, was a landmark legislation, but the landscape has shifted quickly. Abusers now operate through encrypted platforms, digital payment channels, and cross-border hosting services that did not exist, or did not dominate, only a few years ago. The harm is no longer confined to a specific place, it is recorded, replicated, and traded, leaving a digital footprint that follows a child for life.

Mr. President, the proposed measure to amend RA 11930 strengthens the existing legislation by ensuring that the government can act faster and more decisively against online child abuse. It improves coordination among agencies, requires greater responsibility from platforms that operate in or reach the Philippines, and equips authorities to secure and use digital evidence to identify victims, build cases, and work with foreign partners when crimes reach beyond our borders. It also backs enforcement with clearer accountability measures and dedicated support for child safeguarding so protection does not depend on patchwork efforts, but on a stronger, more reliable system.

Mr. President, the Expanded Anti-Online OSAEC and CSAEM Act of 2025 is a necessary step in keeping our laws responsive to evolving technology and cross-border criminality. In supporting this measure, we affirm that the Philippines will not allow digital spaces, financial channels, or jurisdictional distance to become safe havens for those who profit from the abuse of children.

Thank you, Mr. President.