CAMARINES Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte called on President Rodrigo Duterte to sign the bill that will protect children against online sexual abuse.

House Bill 10703, or the Anti-Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children, was ratified last month by the Senate and House of Representatives.

“As children stay at home due to quarantine restrictions, they are at risk to online sex trafficking and exploitation. The perpetrators, other than the usual pimps and child traffickers, are sometimes the parents of the victims themselves,” Villafuerte said.

He said that the internet should be a safe place for children especially that it is used for online learning.

“This bill seeks to provide more protection to our children and further increase penalties to further deter the commission of such crimes,” Villafuerte said.

He cited the report of the Department of Justice that the number of children experiencing abuse online increased by 264.6 percent in 2020.